desert blessing
by DiscordianSamba
Summary: Sometimes, life is about making hard choices. A series of POV oneshots for other characters in the desert born/desert raised universe.
1. desert blessing

This is a prequel to one of my other fics, _desert born_! You can definitely read this one without having read that one, since again, prequel. This is from the POV of Keith's father- for whom I've seen the name Heath being floated around for, so I just went with that. Also, since I started desert born before season 6 aired, there's some stuff in here that was later proven false by it- but I made the choice to stick with it and not retcon what was different, but hey, AU, right?

Anyways, have at it!

I'll be writing a companion fic, _stellar blessing_ , to go along with this one at some point that's from Krolia's perspective!

* * *

 **desert blessing**

* * *

"I am with child."

In hindsight, it was a miracle he didn't choke to death, right then and there.

It took him longer than he'd like to admit to recover, searching for some sign that Krolia was joking. She looked dead serious, if not a little bewildered.

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure." She told him, her voice resolute, leaving no room for doubt, as she placed a hand over her stomach. "I have not had my cycle in two months, and now I feel something stir."

Right. Okay. This was- this was big. Sure, he knew he and Krolia had been doing the ah, _horizontal tango_ for awhile now, but he hadn't thought that they could even _have_ a child.

She was an _alien_ , for Pete's sake.

"I'm gonna be a dad." He heard himself mutter. "I'm gonna- you're _sure_?"

There was something fond in the way her brows wrinkled at his repeated question. "Yes. I am sure."

A dad.

He was gonna be a dad. He was gonna be the father of a child. A _half-alien_ child.

More than a little dazed, Heath rose to his feet, hearing himself let out a laugh. "That's- that's great, Krolia. This is... wow."

" _Wow_ is an excellent word for this situation." Krolia observed, and he wondered how she could remain so calm. Probably that staunch military training of hers, but still. "I believe we will have much to discuss."

"I- yeah, that's fer sure." He said. "But first," wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her close in an embrace, burying his head in her hair, "-I think we need to celebrate."

"I could not agree more."

* * *

They named him Keith.

Krolia had wanted to name him _Yorak_ , which he was sure was a perfectly fine name for a Galra. But they were on Earth, and on Earth, _Yorak_ was the kind of name that would plague a kid for the rest of their years, and under no circumstances was he letting his son suffer that fate.

For all that he was half-alien, it didn't really show. Neither he nor Krolia knew what to expect, but nobody would be able to tell Keith wasn't fully human just by looking at him. He'd breathed a sigh of relief, because he didn't know what he'd do if he came out purple.

Not that he'd love him any less if he was. God no. Just that it would make things difficult.

Sure, he was a _little_ weird. Babies weren't normally born with a full set of teeth, which Krolia assured him was quite normal for a Galra, though Keith's were blunt, unlike hers. They also weren't normally born within five months- too long for a Galra baby, but way too short for a human child.

Thankfully, Keith turned out just fine.

A little on the small side, especially from Krolia's perspective, but fine. Healthy as a babe could be, according to his doctor, once he finally taken him in for his first checkup. He _might_ have had to fudge Keith's age a little bit on the forms, but it was only by a couple of months.

He still remembers taking him to see the blue lion for the first time. He doubted that Keith understood just what it was that he was looking at- in fact, he was pretty sure he didn't. No, kid his age? He was probably just entranced by the pretty lights of its particle barrier. He cooed and touched it, entranced by the way it slightly shifted under his tiny hands.

"According to legends," Krolia told him, "-the blue lion is the most maternal."

He remembers arching a brow, sounding bemused. "So yer sayin' it likes kids?"

Turning to look up at him, Krolia just gave him one of those smiles. "Yes."

He'd just shrugged his shoulders. He knew better than to dispute her when it came to alien warships, seeing as she was the alien. If she said it liked kids, then it liked kids.

It was a happy time.

But it didn't last.

They had tried, so hard, to make it work. In the end, the reason it all fell apart had nothing to do with either of them- and everything to do with the Galra Empire. They found the blue lion for a second time, and this time, Krolia knew that she couldn't remain.

If they found it twice, then surely, they would find it a third time.

He didn't want her to go, but he knew that he couldn't stop her. He saw her off, watching as her ship faded into the horizon, until it became a dot so small, that he couldn't even see it anymore.

She was gone.

He still remembers how Keith cried for his mother, not understanding that she was gone. She had left while he slept, not wanting to disturb him. Or maybe because she knew if she waited until he woke, she wouldn't be able to make herself leave.

He didn't know.

With Krolia gone, there was no point in living out in the shack any longer. In the first place, it was just a small research shack, not meant to be lived in. He'd just ended up staying there while Krolia recovered from the crash, and had never quite gotten around to moving out. He'd always planned on expanding it, making it into a real home, but just had never gotten around to it.

Probably a good thing.

He could get housing at the Garrison, but he decided against it. Something about bringing a half-alien kid to live on base didn't sound like the best idea. Instead, he got an apartment in town, with a spare bedroom for when Keith got old enough to want one of his own.

Krolia was gone, and there wasn't a darn thing he could do about it. What he _could_ do was raise their son, let him grow into a man that she'd be proud of.

She told him that if she ever got the chance to come back, she would take it. He believed her. He knew how weary of war she was- she'd been embroiled in it for a long time, probably longer than he'd even been alive.

She'd come back one day. For them.

* * *

He still remembers the day Keith got sick.

What started as a slight cough and the occasional shiver had escalated into full blown chills by the evening. In spite of the warm climate in which they lived, it seemed like there was nothing he could do warm him up, Keith's tiny three year old body growing steadily colder. He'd tried bundling him in blankets, turning the heat up at full blast- but still he shivered, his small body trembling.

His body temperature was dropping.

He waned in and out of consciousness, crying while he was awake, and shaking when he wasn't. He'd had to get the doctor to do a house call, but even he was at a loss.

Nothing he gave him seemed to work, not even the heating pad. At this point, he was at his wit's end, before he was struck by a dreadful realization.

Keith wasn't fully human.

It was that thought that sent him scrambling to his desk, tearing through it until he found what Krolia had left for him. They had spent hours, _days_ , pouring over what they knew about human and Galra children, respectively, writing it all down. Keith was going to be born into this world a hybrid, and they needed to be prepared for that, and everything it entailed. Frantically flipping through the manual, Heath froze, coming to the section on Galra diseases.

 _"They're rare," Krolia had told him in no uncertain terms, "-and usually fatal."_

Night chills.

He didn't know how Keith had managed to catch it, but it fit, exactly. He wished that being able to put a name to it gave him some relief, but it didn't nothing of the sort. His son, his only son, had come down with an alien sickness.

One which there was only a _thirty three percent_ survival rate for. And that was for _adults_.

There was nothing human medicine could do for him. He could have sworn in that instant, that he felt a pit of despair form, threatening to swallow him up. But he didn't let it. He refused.

There _had_ to be something he could do.

And there was.

There _was_ , but...

...if he used _that_ , there would be no coming back from it.

"...dad?"

Keith's weak voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Dropping the manual, he instantly made his way to his son's side, kneeling in front of him. His eyes were glazed over, as if he were looking at him from a distance.

"Hey buddy," forcing himself to put on his best smile, Heath reached out, taking his hand, "-how ya feeling?"

"Cold."

Not letting his smile falter was damn near the hardest task he'd ever had to do, and he was a pilot. "Yeah? You want another blanket?"

For a moment, Keith didn't respond, instead burying himself deeper in the ones he already had, piled up like a nest. "Heavy."

Ruffling his hair, Heath tried not to think about how cold his son's tiny hand was in his. "You want to try and eat some soup, maybe? I've got your favorite."

Keith just shook his head. "...not hungry."

He'd been losing his appetite too. That was another cause for concern. Another symptom that fit.

"How 'bout I come in there with you?" Heath asked. "I could tell you a story."

Keith seemed to think about it, before slowly nodding his head. "Okay."

Giving his son a smile, Heath carefully climbed into his bed with him, pulling him close and wrapping his arms around him. Even under the layers of winter clothes, he still felt as cold as could be, and he knew if left unchecked, it would only get worse. According to what Krolia had wrote down, supposedly the chills would subside in four days, but he just didn't know if Keith had that much fight in him.

Not when he was already this cold.

Not when he might get even _colder_.

But right now, his son was awake, and needed him. He'd think about what to do after that.

* * *

Halfway through the story, Keith fell back asleep.

He didn't wake up again after that.

At this point, he knew he had a decision to make. He could take his chances and take Keith to a hospital, in hopes that they could find some way to help him there. But that was a gamble- thus far, he'd kept Keith safe by keeping him away from doctors as much as possible- that he'd called on one before was just how desperate he'd gotten.

He _looked_ human enough on the surface, but he couldn't guarantee how deep that went. If someone were to notice something...

Even worse, there was the chance that the doctors might be able to do nothing to help. Thus far he had tried every trick he could think of to keep Keith's body temperature up, so he'd be surprised if they had an idea he _hadn't_ at this point. _Curing_ him was out of the question, not when this was an alien disease.

Keith was a tough kid, but he didn't know if he had enough fight to pull through this on his own. Already his body temperature was too law- the only thing keeping him from outright panicking was the fact that it was still within the safe range for Galra.

He had one other option.

Staring down at the vial in his hands, Heath narrowed his eyes. It was an option that he never thought he would have to entertain- no, one he wished he would never have to.

Thanks to Krolia, he was familiar with the stuff. _Quintessence_ , she had called it. From the sound of it, it could do a hell of a lot, but chief among them was that it could _heal_.

But there were consequences.

Krolia had salvaged this vial from her scout ship, shortly after she had crashed. She hadn't used it on herself- she tried to avoid it, if at all possible. Using it too much could create a dependency, but it was safe enough if used sparingly.

It wasn't dependency he was worried about. For a half-Galra like Keith, it was impossible to say _what_ the side effects might be. Krolia had once warned him that there was a chance it might unlock some kind of _change_ in Keith, and had cautioned him to only use it in the case of a major emergency. Worst case scenario, it might fail to help him at all.

But it was still the best chance he got.

What else was he supposed to do? Just let his son die?

Drawing in a long breath, Heath looked up, fixing his gaze on his son. Even in his sleep, his shivers did not subside. He'd pulled through the night, but how much more of this could he really take?

He'd just have to accept the consequences, whatever they might be.

* * *

"Dad?"

He hadn't even realized he'd dozed off until he felt the hand tugging at his sleeve. _Keith's_ hand.

Snapping his eyes open, Heath woke with a jolt. It earned him a faint _meep_ of surprise from his son, who probably hadn't expected him to move that quickly. Exhaling, he felt his shoulders slump, sinking back into the chair he had set up by Keith's bedside.

"Keith-" looking up at his son, he felt his words die in his mouth, "...keith?"

The child that stared back at him was, without a doubt, his son. The black hair that curled around his neck was still the same, all his facial features just the same as he remembered them.

But he was also purple.

Purple, with deeper violet markings on his cheek, just like his mother. He'd always had his mother's eyes, but now his sclera were yellow too, much as Krolia's had been. Even his ears had changed shape, elongating and tipping off in points, though they lacked the secondary lower point that his mother's possessed.

Heck, he'd even grown _claws_.

Consequences.

But more importantly- no, _most_ importantly- Keith was looking straight at him, eyes clear of any haze. He'd even squirmed out of some of the extra clothes that he'd lumped on him, down to just a sweat stained t-shirt. He wasn't shivering.

When he touched his hand, it was _warm_.

Compared to that, nothing else mattered.

"Hey buddy," cracking a smile, Heath curled his hand around his son's, "-how ya feelin'?"

Holding up his hands for him to see, Keith looked up at him. "Purple."

Unable to help himself, Heath let out a loud burst of laughter. Ruffling his hair, he drew Keith close to him, burying him in his chest. His son might _look_ different now, but he was still his son.

That hadn't- and would never- change.

* * *

He moved them back into the shack.

He took a hiatus from work. Under the circumstances, nobody dared stop him. They were all under the impression that he'd just lost his son, and just needed some time to himself.

What he really needed was time to expand the shack. If they were going to be living here now, it would sorely need it.

The first thing he finished was the bathroom- which he'd already halfway finished when he'd been living here with Krolia anyways. Getting running water out here wouldn't be a problem, so long as he kept the cistern filled. He knew where to find it, too- there was an underground river that ran through the cave where the blue lion rested, one that was kept pure by its presence.

He didn't quite understand how that worked, but he didn't much care either.

The next was the kitchen. They couldn't just spend the rest of their lives eating microwave meals, not when Keith was still growing. His transformation thankfully hadn't seemed to effect his taste buds in any meaningful way, nor did it cause some kind of sudden change in his diet, for which he was thankful.

He had fangs like his mother, but even Krolia had been an omnivore- even if he _had_ caught her snacking on a live lizard or two back in the day.

The last to come was the bedroom, which he'd built with Keith in mind. He could share the couch with him for now, but he wouldn't always be this small, able to just snooze away on top of him. He for one, didn't mind the couch, so the bed was for Keith. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, but construction materials were expensive, even on a pilot's salary.

Plus carpentry wasn't _exactly_ his strongest skill set.

At least the place looked a bit more like a home now.

Keith took to the move with the kind of wide-eyed fascination that only a toddler could muster. He followed after him like a shadow, any trace of his life threatening illness a thing of the past. While he worked on a project, Keith would sit by him, watching with wide eyes. He taught him the names of his less dangerous tools, and recruited him as his assistant, which thrilled the kid.

Sure, all he was doing was handing him stuff- but to a three year old, that was the picture perfect definition of helping.

He hadn't told Keith the reason for their move just yet. He knew he'd have to eventually- he was a smart kid, he'd probably figure it out on his own. The last thing he wanted was for Keith to get the wrong idea.

Out here in the desert, away from prying eyes, there would be no one to pay heed to a purple child. It had nothing to do with shame- if he had the confidence that nothing bad would happen to him, he'd take Keith to town right now, show him off to the world, purple and all.

This was his son, and he loved him. Damned what anyone else thought.

But he didn't have that confidence.

Maybe he wasn't an authority on Galra, but he knew humans. And he knew that there were plenty who feared what they couldn't understand- and a purple half-alien child very squarely fell within that category. Right now, this was the only thing he could think of to keep Keith safe.

It wouldn't last forever. He knew that. Keith would grow up someday, want to go out into the world, and he knew he wouldn't be able to stop him when he did.

But for now, he could protect him.

Sure, the desert was dangerous. But so were _people_. He'd rather take his chances with coyotes than a bunch of lab coats. So long as he taught Keith what he needed to know to survive, he'd be fine.

Like he said, the kid was smart.

Thanks to the generator Krolia left behind, he didn't have to worry about the shack losing power. They could stay off the grid for effectively the rest of their lives if they had to. He got himself a PO box in town, where he could pick up any mail he needed. If he needed to use the Internet, he could do that there too.

But he never left Keith alone for long.

"Dad?"

Pausing the DVD on his laptop, Heath glanced down at his son. He was sitting in his lap, hands resting on his knees. "Yeah, kiddo?"

Looking up at him, Keith's brows furrowed together. A faint yellow film had started to form over his eyes as of late, but it didn't seem to be hindering his vision any, so he just left it be. "Why'm purple?"

Frankly, he was just surprised it had taken him this long to ask.

"'cause yer mother was." He told him, in absolute honesty. He hadn't been planning on telling him about Krolia until he got older, but clearly, plans had changed.

Nodding his head, Keith accepted that explanation for the time being.

The older he got, the more questions he'd have. He'd keep the whole truth from Keith for as long as he could- he wasn't thrilled with the idea of having to tell him that his mother came from a race of conquerors, but keeping it from him didn't feel right either.

The last thing he wanted was for some bad Galra to come down, and take Keith away. He was pretty confident that his kid would be able to recognize right and wrong, but based off what Krolia told him about the situation up there, there was the very real possibility he might not have that choice.

God, Krolia.

He kind of wished she were here right now. Space might be a dangerous place, but at least Keith'd be able to live openly there.

Right now that was the one thing he couldn't give him.

And he'd made that choice.

* * *

"Thought I asked to not be put on any long missions."

He knew this would be a problem sooner or later, he just hadn't expected it to be _sooner_. Tempting as it was, he couldn't just spend the rest of his life out in the desert with Keith- he knew that he'd have to come back to work at some point.

He'd left Keith with strict instructions, ones that he was fairly sure he'd follow to the letter. He could go outside, but he needed to stay within sight of the shack. He was to watch out for any dangerous animals, and stay away from them. If he saw anyone, he was to hide, and wait for them to go away.

He doubted anyone would venture that far out into the desert, but it never hurt. He didn't _like_ telling Keith stuff like that- he was too darn young to know that there were people out there who might want to hurt him because he was different. But if he wanted to keep his kid safe, he had no other choice.

"You're our best pilot, Heath." Iverson told him. "I know your recent loss has hit you hard, but-"

"The answer's no, Iverson." Heath told him, not caring much that he'd just cut a commanding officer short. "It's day flights, or I quit."

Push come to shove, he could find work elsewhere. Maybe it wouldn't pay as much, but if there was one advantage to living in a shack out in the middle of the desert, it was that he had no bills to pay.

Iverson clearly had not been expecting that ultimatum. "You're certain?"

"I'm certain." He repeated.

Heaving a sigh, Iverson merely frowned. "If you insist, I'll have you pulled from the mission. But if you keep turning work down, they may have you demoted to cargo class."

"I can live with that."

He could. Nothing was more important than Keith right now. Maybe when he was older, he could think about taking longer missions right now, but as it was now, kid wasn't ready to be left on his own for that long.

If that meant his career had to suffer, so be it. Fine by him.

His son came first.

* * *

"What's in the box?"

Sitting at the edge of the makeshift table, Keith peered up at him. What had started out as a film turned out to actually be some kind of third eyelid, one that left his pupils invisible to the naked eye. It was strange to look at, but it didn't bother Keith none, so it didn't bother him.

"Oh, just some boring ol' dad books." Heath told him, watching as Keith's face fell, a look of absolute betrayal crossing it. No surprise. He'd come to equate packages with something being for him, since he had to order everything for Keith online now. Couldn't exactly go out to shop for a kid that was supposed to be dead.

"That's no fun." Keith whined, his voice reaching an octave he was damn sure was impossible for a regular human. Spreading himself out over the table, almost uselessly dramatic, he pouted.

Grinning, Heath set aside the large books he'd pulled out first. "Oh?" Lifting a brow, he made a show of being surprised, though he knew full well what was under them. "What's this? Looks like they threw some picture books in here by mistake."

Perking up, Keith's eyes went wide. Pushing himself up on the table, he crawled over, peering inside the box, grabbing at one of the picture books.

"Nope, didn't order these!" Heath lied through his teeth, not even trying to mask his grin. "Guess I'll just have to take them all back to the post office."

Glowering up at him, Keith clutched the picture book he'd already taken to his chest. "No. These are mine now."

Arching a brow, Heath let out a loud laugh as he ruffled his son's hair. "Yeah? Guess we'll just have to keep them all then."

Nodding his head, Keith relinquished his death grip on the picture book, instead leaning into his hand. His son was like a damn cat, he swore, right down to the purring. He definitely hadn't had the vocal chords for that before, but apparently, he did now.

"Want me to read to you?" Heath asked.

Opening his eyes, Keith shook his head. "No, I can do it."

"Yeah?" Heath asked. "You sure?"

Brow furrowing, Keith glared at him. "I'm _four_ now, I can read on my own."

Ah, right, he was. It wasn't like he'd forgotten his birthday or anything like that- they'd had a proper party for it, or as much of one as they could have out here. But part of him just couldn't fathom that they'd spent a whole _year_ out here now. Celebrated Christmas and New Year's and everything.

Some part of him had secretly been hoping that Keith's transformation would wear off in time. But if the change in his eyes had proven anything, it was that the effects were likely permanent- and still taking place. He'd adapted to them well, so if it had to happen at all, maybe it was for the best that it had happened while he was still so young.

Maybe in a few years, he'd only have vague memories of not being purple. Of the world outside the desert.

Now determined, Keith set down the book. "I'll show you."

Letting out a hearty chuckle, Heath just scooped him up, setting him on the floor. "Just don't do it on the table, kiddo. How about some animal crackers?"

Keith nodded, curling up in the space between the couch and the makeshift table, setting the book in his lap. "Yeah. And juice."

"Any preference?" Heath asked, rising to his feet. Keith just shook his head. "No preference, huh. Guess I'll get some cranberry juice."

"Dad!" Looking up at him with wide eyes, the effect emphasized by his lack of visible pupils, Keith pouted. "No!"

Chuckling, Heath just shook his head. "Alright, apple it is then."

Their kitchen was small, but manageable. He'd have to teach Keith to cook one of these days, he knew, but for now, he was still too small for him to be entirely comfortable with him helping out in the kitchen. Maybe in a few years, when he was old enough to hold a knife.

Granted, kid had _claws_ now, and those were about as dangerous as you could get. But he was careful with them, _mindful_ , even. Hadn't hurt himself yet- though _he'd_ been pricked with them more than his fair share, at least during those first few weeks.

Chewing on his lip, he peered back into the main room of the shack. Keith was busy with his picture book, mumbling to himself. He was using one clawed finger to trace the words, stopping when he hit one that he didn't recognize.

Guess school was out of the cards.

Maybe when he went into town next, he'd pick up a few basic workbooks. Might be too early for math, but he was a great little reader already, so he could start from there. There was a lot to do out here in the desert, but he was sure he'd be able to find the time to teach Keith what he needed to know.

"Dad!" Keith called out, a slight whine to his voice. "What's this word?"

With a faint grin, he shook his head. Scooping up the small bowl of animal crackers and the juice carton, he sat them in front of Keith, before picking him up, tucking his son in his lap as he sat down. "Which one?"

"This one." Keith said, tapping it. "Don't know it."

Ruffling his hair, Heath read it out for him. Like a little echo, Keith repeated it.

They were halfway through the book when Keith suddenly went silent, his voice faltering. At first, he thought he'd simply dozed off, but a quick glance down proved that his son was very awake. "Keith?"

"...why was mom purple?"

Frowning, he couldn't help but wonder what brought that on all of a sudden. He'd expected Keith to ask at some point, he just hadn't expected it to be so out of the blue.

"Well," leaning back against the couch, he mulled over how he should explain it, "-she wasn't from around here, fer one thing."

Keith peered up at him, tilting his head back. "Where was she from?"

With a faint grin, he lifted a hand, pointing up. "From the stars."

Keith's eyes lit up at that. "From space!?"

Letting out a laugh, Heath's grin grew. "Sure was. Your pop here rescued her when she crashed to Earth."

"Does that mean I'm an alien?" Keith asked, sounding so earnest.

"Mm, not quite." He told him. "You were born here, on Earth. You're human, like me."

Frowning, Keith's brows furrowed. "But I don't look like you. At least, not anymore."

He felt a pang as he said that, but didn't let it show on his face. "Maybe not, but it doesn't change the fact that you are."

Keith blinked, tilting his head. He didn't know if he'd accepted that or not, but it seemed to suffice for now. "Oh. Okay. Where was mom from?"

"Don't think she was much from anywhere." Heath told him. "Her folk don't really have a planet anymore. They're called the Galra."

Unless you counted the tens of thousands they had conquered, but that wasn't exactly _Krolia's_ folk. She'd told him once that she had been raised on one of their many colonies, before she joined that rebel group of hers- which, come to think of it, he never actually got the name of.

(Probably should have asked.)

"What happened to it?" Keith asked.

"A lot of stuff." Heath told him. "I'll tell you about it someday."

Keith frowned, not entirely satisfied with that, but didn't seem much interested in pursuing the subject further. "Why did she leave?"

"She didn't want to." Heath told him- that much he wanted to make crystal clear. If Krolia had any idea what had become of her son, she'd come flying back here- probably to beat him up, he reckoned. "There's some real bad folk out in space, and she went to help fight them."

"So she's a hero?" Keith asked- and he could have sworn that his eyes sparkled, just a bit. Letting out a chuckle, he planted a kiss on the top of his head.

"She sure is." He told him. "And she loved you a lot."

He'd tell him the more complex parts some other day. About the knife that she left behind for him. About how it was linked to her life force, so as long as the sigil on the hilt glowed, she was alive. About how he could live for another thousand years, and still never meet another woman quite like her.

For now, this would do.

* * *

On Keith's fifth birthday, he took him to see the blue lion.

He wasn't sure why he waited so long, in hindsight. It just had never really occurred to him to bring Keith along with him. He came down to the tunnels plenty- what spare time he had, he spent reinforcing the network of tunnels, making it harder and harder for anyone to just stumble onto the lion.

He knew them by heart.

Maybe Keith hadn't thought much of the lion the first time he'd been shown it, but this time, he was properly in awe. Probably helped that he'd told him a bit of the story Krolia had shared with him- that it was a legendary weapon of alien origin, that she had come to this planet to protect.

He didn't even fight the urge to laugh at the way Keith smushed his face up against the barrier, pouting when it wouldn't give way. "We can't go in?"

"'fraid not, kiddo." He told him, scooping him up and putting him on his shoulders so that he could get a better view. He was kinda heavy for someone so small- guess his bones must have gotten denser, or something like that. Krolia was the same way. "Your mom said she'll only let her pilot in."

"Who's her pilot?" Keith asked, peering down at him. In the dim light of the cave, his eyes glowed.

"Beats me." Heath told him. "But maybe she'll talk to you. Your mom said she likes kids."

"She can talk?" Keith asked, looking up towards the blue lion in awe.

Honestly, he had no clue. He just always got that impression from the way Krolia spoke of it. What he did know was that it was no ordinary ship, even by alien standards- not when this _Emperor Zarkon_ wanted it so badly.

"Don't know." Heath said frankly. "Maybe you'll find out."

"Can I come visit her?" Keith asked.

"Mm, not until you've got the path memorized, like I do." Heath told him. He'd been letting him wander off more on his own lately, but only to places he knew the kid knew how to get back from- he'd taken to desert life exceptionally well, hadn't gotten lost even once yet. "But if you ever want to come see it, you just ask me."

Nodding his head, Keith appeared satisfied with that. "Okay."

"You interested in her?" Heath asked.

"No," Keith frowned, before quickly correcting himself, "-I mean, _yeah_ , she's so cool! But I just- I thought she might be lonely. She's the only one here."

It was a statement that made him blink. How did Keith...?

No, maybe he was just overthinking it. The blue lion was the only thing down here, so maybe that's all he meant. He knew from Krolia that there were supposedly four more of these things, but he hadn't told _Keith_ that.

It also made him wonder if Keith was lonely.

It was a thought that stung, but he didn't know what he could _do_ about it. He didn't exactly have any friends out here, and his prospects for making them were well, low.

If coming to see the blue lion could help with that, at least a little, he'd be glad to take him.

* * *

He didn't have the same reaction to the scout ships.

There were a pair of them- the one Krolia had crashed to Earth in, and the one that had been left behind by the scouting party they had intercepted. Out of the three, Krolia had taken one, and the other had blown up, which just left this one. Hauling it into this cave, even with his hoverbike, hadn't been easy, but he'd managed. It wasn't exactly something he could just leave out in the open.

Though he had been excited at first to see his mother's ship, once they actually got there, all Keith did was hide behind his legs. Frowning, he crouched down in front of him, ruffling his hair. "What's wrong?"

"...they're kinda scary."

Frowning, he looked up towards the ships. "You think so?"

"Yeah," nodding his head, Keith clung to his sleeve, "-they look like a bad guy's ships."

Biting his lip, Heath looked down at his son. He wasn't exactly wrong.

"You've heard of spies, right?" Heath asked.

Nodding his head, Keith peered up at him, more curious about the sudden question than he was scared of the ships. "Yeah. It was in one of my books."

"Well, that's what your mom was." He told him. "She snuck into the bad guy's camp and pretended to be one of them, so she could do good things."

He had to fight the urge to let out a breath of relief at how quickly Keith seemed to latch onto the idea. "Mom was a spy?"

"Yup," he told him, "-she and her friends," maybe not the best choice of words, but Keith was only six, so it'd do for now, "-are working _really_ hard to take down an evil empire from the inside."

"So," scrunching his nose, Keith tilted his head, "-bad aliens, right?"

"Bad aliens." Heath agreed. "They're called the-"

He stopped himself short, just in time. He'd nearly just blurted out that they were called the Galra Empire, but Keith already knew that was what his mom was- _Galra_. And he was a smart kid- it wouldn't be hard for him to put two and two together and figure out that _he_ was the bad alien.

Except he wasn't. Not by a long shot.

"They're called the what?" Keith asked, frowning when he didn't answer. "...dad?"

Heaving a sigh, Heath hung his head. Guess he hadn't stopped himself just in time.

Resting a hand on his shoulder, Heath frowned. "You know how I told you there's bad people out there?"

Nodding his head, Keith's brow crinkled. "Yeah. You said they might wanna hurt me. That's why we're out here."

...and that sounded harsher than he wanted, coming from the mouth of his six year old kid. Putting that thought aside, he ran a hand through his hair, giving some thought about how to put this. Ideally, he wanted to wait until Keith was a bit older, but...

"Well, there's bad Galra out there too." Heath told him. "A lot of things happened, and the bad guys ended up with most of the power."

He watched something in Keith shatter at that statement. "...the Galra are bad guys?"

"No." He said, maybe a bit too quickly, but he hoped Keith wouldn't notice. "Not all of them. Just... a good number."

Clutching at the hem of his shirt, Keith dug his hands into it, his gaze dropping to his feet. "...is mom?"

"Your mom is good." Heath assured him. "As good as they come. I told you, right? Your mom's a hero."

Slowly nodding his head, Keith peered up at him. "...am I bad?"

Something damn near broke in him, hearing his son ask that. Scooping him up in a tight hug, he buried Keith in his chest. "No. _Nothing_ about you is bad, Keith. I promise you that."

Keith didn't say anything back, he just buried himself deeper in his father's embrace.

* * *

At first, he didn't even register the impact.

All he knew was that one minute, he was on his feet, and another, he wasn't. The rock he was standing on must have given out on him, sending him freefalling. It felt like he'd been staring up at the sky for a long span of time when it finally dawned on him that he must have fallen, and it was only then that the pain came.

It came sharp, piercing. He always considered himself a man who handled pain well, but this was damn near enough to reduce him to tears. Grunting, he slowly reached up a hand, touching the back of his head ever so lightly.

When he drew it away, there was blood.

It took everything not to panic. He couldn't afford to. Head wounds bled, he knew that for a fact. Pressing his hand where he'd hit it, he tried to force himself up into a sitting position, but all that did was cause the world to spin, causing him to collapse with a groan.

This wasn't good.

He couldn't- he had to get back to Keith. Back to the shack. There were medical supplies there, he could...

He didn't even remember passing out.

When he came to next, it was to the sound of a roar. It sounded, some dim part of him thought, a lot like a lion. But there were no lions here. Just-

"Dad?"

Keith.

Grunting, he tried to move his head, but it protested the action, fiercely. Eyes gazing upwards, they fixed on Keith's, two glowing pinpricks against the night sky.

...when had it gotten this late?

"...keith."

Relief washed through Keith's features, and even though he knew his son couldn't cry, it still looked like he'd been tearing up. He was clutching at his shirt, visibly upset. At first, he couldn't place for the life of him why, before it slowly dawned on him.

Oh.

He was dying.

Slowly reaching up a hand, he cupped it around Keith's cheek, giving him a weak smile. His son leaned into it, nuzzling his cheek against it. His skin was rough to the touch, textured- he couldn't remember when it had gotten like that, just that it had.

He didn't know what to say. Couldn't think straight. All he knew was that he was about to leave Keith all alone- the one thing he'd promised he'd never do.

 _Not alone._

Some part of him figured that maybe he was just hearing things. He was dying, hit his head real hard, so he was probably just having an auditory hallucination.

The other part of him recognized it as the blue lion's voice.

 _Not mine_ , it said, _but I will watch over him, as you and his mother have me_.

He really wanted to believe that. Closing his eyes, he drew in a long breath, feeling something sharp stab at him as he did. Oh- so the head wound wasn't the only injury he'd taken. Figures- he'd fallen pretty far.

Didn't matter if what he was hearing was real or not. No offense to the blue lion- he was sure it was great and all, but it wasn't quite the same as having a living, breathing person in the company of his son. Someone he could trust.

God, he should have told someone when he had the chance. Sam, maybe. Why _hadn't_ he told Sam?

 _Someone_ _ **will**_ _come, in time_ , it said, _the one who sleeps still has seen this_.

Now that just made no damn sense to him. Huh. Guess it wasn't an auditory hallucination then.

Opening his eyes, he looked up at Keith, who had taken to clutching his hand tight. His claws were digging into him, but he didn't have the heart to tell him off, not now.

Keith knew what death was. He'd helped him hunt. Seen the life go out of an animal's eyes.

Just probably hadn't thought it could happen to his father.

God, he was only seven. _Seven!_ He was too damn- too damn young for this, for any of this. If he'd just been more careful, if he hadn't gotten careless-

"Keith," he croaked out, forcing himself to smile, "-you'll be fine."

"You can't." Keith told him, still stubborn as ever, like he could chase away death if he protested enough. "You can't."

"I don't want to," Heath told him, "-god, I don't want to. I love you. I love you so much, kiddo."

"Then don't go."

He wished he could do that. Just... not go. But he knew. And Keith knew.

 _Someone_ _ **will**_ _come._

Well, he thought- they'd better damn well hurry up with it.

* * *

He wasn't there, four years later, when Keith dragged an injured cadet back to the shack.

Takashi Shirogane stayed.


	2. stellar blessing

Hello all, I'm back from vacation, and also back with the latest entry in the desert born series! Time for that promised Krolia POV fic, to go along with the one for Keith's father! This one is equal parts prequel and sequel to desert born- it touches on events that happen after Keith becomes a paladin. Hopefully everyone picks up on the hint on how major timeline events have changed, but if not, have no fear, because this is far from the end!

What's next? Why, that's the long awaited Keith POV, of course! It will be split into two parts- _desert raised_ , which will cover the events of the desert, and a yet unnamed sequel which will cover his time as a paladin. So look forward to that sometime in the future! There is another fic that I want to start before that one though, but it should also be a pretty good tale, so hopefully you'll look forward to it too~!

* * *

 **stellar blessing**

* * *

"Is it supposed to take this long?"

Heath merely gave her one of those indulging smiles of his. On most occasions, the sight of it would warm something in her, but at the current moment, it just made her feel vaguely annoyed. "We've talked about this. Human babies take a lot longer than Galra babies do."

Frowning, Krolia's brows knit together. Placing a hand over her belly, already so round with child- _their_ child- she thought she felt them kick. Surely they were already ready to come out if they were that active?

"I am not human." She stated, though it was the obvious.

"Maybe so," Heath's smile didn't fade- if anything, it just grew wider, "-but our kid's at least half."

Letting out a low hum, she idly stroked her belly. Normally this would be cause for concern, but she just had to trust Heath was right. It was not as if either of them knew what to expect- though she had been fully aware that the Galra were a versatile species, somehow, it had never occurred to her that she might get pregnant.

But she did not regret it.

This little life growing within her... if finding love in the midst of war had seemed impossible, then becoming a mother had been _unthinkable_. It had never truly been something she'd longed for- she was a solider, fighting a long and arduous war, but one that must be fought. When she'd joined the Blade of Marmora, she knew full well just what it was that she was getting herself into.

She didn't regret it any.

But even a solider as loyal as she could grow weary.

Crashing her ship onto this primitive planet had _not_ been in her plans- nor was being rescued by a friendly local. Heath Kogane, he had given his name as- a pilot, at the local space exploration program, though these humans had yet to leave their own system. He was patient, understanding- and even though their first meeting had been just shy of a disaster, he had nevertheless assisted with her recovery.

Falling in love with him? Definitely not as planned. But it was perhaps the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to her.

Or it had been, until their child.

They had not even been born yet, and they were still so precious to her. Perhaps the true reason she was so impatient was simply because she could not wait to meet them.

"Have you thought about what to name them?" Heath asked.

"Yes." Krolia told him. "I've picked the perfect name."

* * *

He did not let her name him Yorak.

But Keith- Keith was an acceptable name as well.

* * *

"You know, he has your eyes."

Looking towards her partner, Krolia frowned. "I believe he takes more after you."

"I don't know about that." Heath told her, gaze still transfixed upon their infant son. They were both leaning over his cradle, staring down at him as if he were the most wondrous creature in the world.

(He was. He was theirs.)

"Maybe he's not purple," Heath continued, "-but I'm pretty sure he takes after you more."

Watching as her husband gave Keith one of his fingers, he wrapped his tiny hand around it, making a small noise. According to Heath, he didn't sound _quite_ like a normal baby, but she had been more concerned at first with his size. He had seemed... so _small_ to her, especially given how long she had been pregnant with him- five whole months, unthinkable for a Galra child.

It was only Heath's reassurances that everything was fine that calmed her down.

He'd been more concerned with all the _teeth_. She had assured him that was normal for a Galra infant. Keith's were blunt, square, like his father's.

"It is for the best." Krolia remarked, giving her infant son one of her own fingers. He wrapped his other hand around it, making another tiny noise, the likes of which she had only begun to identify. Pleased, she thought.

Looking up at her, Heath arched a brow. "That he takes after you?"

Meeting his eyes, Krolia didn't even blink. "That he is not purple."

Letting out a low hum, Heath dropped his gaze. "Yer probably right about that."

It was something they had both discussed- what to do if Keith had come out looking more Galra. A few small abnormalities could be covered up, explained away- but purple skin and yellow sclera could not. When he had been born looking as human as he had, she had breathed a sigh of relief.

Her son could live a normal life.

She did not want to deny him that. A normal, _peaceful_ life- something that had seemed like such an impossible dream to her at one time. On Earth, she had a chance to grant Keith that- but only if he managed to blend in.

There were some downsides to having landed on a primitive planet.

Oblivious to this, Keith began to nibble on his father's finger. Making a pained face, Heath carefully pried it out of his mouth. His teeth might be blunt, but he could bite quite hard. "Bit of a biter."

"It is normal for Galra children." Krolia noted, giving her son her own finger in her husband's stead, before he could begin to cry. Her skin was thick, so his tiny teeth would be unable to hurt her. "Is it not so for human infants?"

"Not when they're this young, not usually." Heath remarked. "At least we won't have to deal with teething."

"Yes, teething sounds... unpleasant." Krolia frowned, recalling what she had read of it in the parenting books that Heath had brought in from town. While Galra infants shed their baby teeth within their first two years, there was nothing comparable to _teething_.

For what felt like a long time, they did nothing but watch their son in silence. He was a wonder to them both, a little blessing that neither of them had ever expected. When he nodded off, she leaned down to kiss his forehead, before drawing away, looking back towards her partner.

"We should take him to see the blue lion."

He blinked at the suddenness of her words, but then simply nodded. "If that's what you want. How 'bout this weekend?"

"Yes," she said, nodding her head, "-that sounds acceptable."

The blue lion of Voltron... to be able to see two lions within her lifetime, she couldn't help but feel truly blessed. She only wished that the circumstances were better.

Nevertheless, she wished to share it with her child. This was the universe's hope, what she was here to protect. It, and him.

She wondered if Kolivan had any luck with coming up with a plan to steal back the red lion from the Empire's hands. The fact that it was located on Sendak's ship would prove a challenge- out of all the Galra Commanders, Sendak was by far the fiercest. And unlike Ranveig, who was of a similar temperament, they had not managed to insert any Blades within his chain of command.

Zarkon sought a paladin for it among the Galra. But the red lion had once been piloted by the king of Altea, before his death at Zarkon's hands. She doubted it would ever allow itself to be piloted by a Galra.

There was much that wasn't understood about the lions, but the bond between a lion and its paladin ran deep. All knew that. It was why Kolivan feared the one day, Zarkon would find the black lion once again. Perhaps the emperor himself believed it destroyed, but Kolivan never did- the lions of Voltron were not something that could be so easily destroyed.

Regardless, Zarkon had not yet found a paladin that the red lion would accept. He'd even sent prisoners, but it had taken to none of them. Even Haggar, with all her power, could not break the particle barrier that protected it.

So for now, it merely served as a trophy. A reminder to all who dared oppose him. Here is your last hope- it is _ours_.

(It would never be theirs.)

Stroking her son's hair, she prayed that someday, he would live in a world where the Galra Empire was nothing but a crumbled ruin.

* * *

They found Earth for a second time.

This time, she knew that she couldn't stay. Heath's injury had served as a wake up call- if they found Earth once, they would be able to find it again.

And this time had been far too close already.

If she wanted to keep her family safe, then leaving was her only option. It was not a decision she made lightly- she knew if she left, there was a very real chance she might never be able to return. Keith would grow up without her.

But at least he would be _safe_.

It took her a little while to fully repair the scout ship. She had to pull parts from the other, remaining ship, gutting her own for what few salvageable parts she could find. The end result was a bit of a mess, but it would serve to get her to the closest Blade of Marmora rally point. From there, she could report back to Kolivan, and determine what to do next.

She had no plans to tell him about Keith.

She _would_ tell him about Heath, to an extent. She would need to explain why she had left her blade behind- and the excuse that she had left it in the hands of the Earthling that had assisted her, and knew of the blue lion, would suffice. It could serve as an early warning ship, should any more scout ships break through the atmosphere.

Kolivan wouldn't like it, but he would accept it.

Besides, he had known her for long enough to recognize the fondness that touched the corner of her eyes whenever she spoke of him. Kolivan was no fool.

She also left Heath with a vial of quintessence- the healing variety. She had salvaged it from her ship when she'd first crashed, but had decided to allow her injuries to heal naturally. Earth was a peaceful planet, secure- there was no need to rush the healing process. It was rare that she was given time to recover like this, so given the chance, she'd take it.

She hoped that Heath wouldn't have to use it. Neither of them knew what it might do to Keith, given his hybrid physiology- she didn't even know if it would _work_ , not when he looked so human. She knew that he was more Galra than he appeared, but most of that was behavioral- not physical.

Beyond that, if he ever _did_ have to use it, it would mean that Keith was in dire straits. While Earth was a peaceful planet, it was not without its dangers- there were wild animals, as well as crime, not to mention a whole host of illness that Keith might pick up. Many were treatable, but others were not.

But she trusted Heath to take care of him.

She didn't know if he would ever tell him about her. They hadn't had time to discuss it. Whatever he decided, she would be fine with it- even if it meant Keith would never know anything about her, about his heritage.

In spite of everything, she still took pride in being Galra.

But beyond that, she was _Blade of Marmora_. And while this environment wasn't one that she would ever wish to raise her son in, given the choice, she couldn't deny that she found pride in those that she worked with, in those that she had trained. In what they stood for.

But because she was Blade of Marmora, it also meant taking risks.

Kolivan wanted her to slip into Ranveig's camp, to gain the trust of his inner circle. They already had some agents in his camp, but they were all low rank- just barely above foot solders. Given his placement at the fringes of imperial territory, it was critical that they get someone in there would could track his movements as soon as decisions were made, not after commands leaked down to the enlisted.

It was dangerous, risky- but she had also spent a lifetime doing this sort of work. And doing what she could to thwart the expansion of the Empire sounded like a good way to keep her loved ones safe.

Even if she never saw them again.

* * *

She found herself keeping track of time based upon how old Keith would be.

October 23rd. His birthday.

Meaningless, out in space, but the first thing she had done was determine what day it would fall upon the Galra Standard Calendar. She would never celebrate, not daring to, but she would always know.

Today he turned three. Today he turned seven- ten, fourteen, seventeen.

Today he turned eighteen.

* * *

Something told her that this wasn't a standard check-in.

For one thing, it was too early. For another, _Kolivan_ had initiated it.

No, she sensed this was about something else.

"I will only ask this of you one time, Krolia," Kolivan's tone was always stern, but here it seemed more stern than usual, "-did you leave anything out of your report on Earth?"

Her first instinct was to lie. Her second was to realize that if Kolivan was asking that question, then she had good reason to believe he somehow knew about Keith. She didn't know _how_ , and it was that uncertainty that drove her to ultimately tell the truth.

"Yes." Krolia reported. "I did."

Kolivan didn't react, but he rarely ever did. "Ulaz sends word that there is a child living there, who bears Galra blood. Either you failed to finish off the scouts that Zarkon sent, and they mingled with a local, or the child is yours."

Ulaz? The last she had heard of him, he'd had a post with the druids, working as a technician. It was a high risk position, given that he worked closely not only with the druids, but also Zarkon's witch, Haggar.

It was also vital.

"I did not fail." Krolia stated plainly. "The child is mine."

"You had him with the Earthling."

It was a statement, not a question.

She didn't even blink. "Yes."

Just as Kolivan knew her well enough to know her tells, she knew him just as well. So when the edges of his mouth turned further downwards, she felt something cold grip at her heart, even though she remained as impassive as ever on the outside. Had something happened to Keith?

Had the Empire gone back? Had they found him? What happened to-?

"The father is dead."

And at that, she felt her heart sink.

Heath. Dead.

The words sounded so hollow, _empty_ , but she knew that Kolivan would not lie to her, not like this. He, more than anyone, understood the weight death carried, and would not be speaking of it unless it was the absolute truth as he knew it.

"Dead." Krolia echoed, unable to do much else.

Dead. Gone. She truly would never see him again.

And Keith was alone.

"How did you," and she was not ashamed to admit that her voice faltered here, for even if she had seen many die, she had never loved any of them the same way she had loved Heath, "-how did you come to learn of this?"

What she desperately wanted to ask about was Keith, but she assumed at the very least, if he were dead too, Kolivan would have already informed her of such.

"Have you heard of the Champion?" Kolivan inquired.

She had. It was hard not to. Any talk of humans this far out in space instantly turned her blood cold, and the Champion, she knew, was human.

"He went against orders, and assisted in his escape." Kolivan stated. "He informed Ulaz of a half-Galra child on Earth. He wished to send a message to his mother, to inform her that the father of the child had passed."

She blinked at that. The Champion knew Keith?

Perhaps it was not so strange. Heath had been a pilot for the Galaxy Garrison, and the ship that they had seized when they had taken the three humans off the moon of Pluto bore the Galaxy Garrison insignia.

What caught her attention more was the fact that the Champion knew that Keith was _Galra_.

"Where is the Champion now?" Krolia inquired.

"On his way back to Earth." Kolivan stated. "We will have to see if Ulaz's gamble with him paid off."

She did not need to ask to know that meant the Galra Empire was closing in on the blue lion. And that truly was a thought that filled her heart with fear- because not only was Heath dead, not only was Keith alone, but soon he would be in danger.

The same danger she had been trying to protect him _from_ when she'd left.

"What am I to do?"

She couldn't imagine that he would ask her to withdraw from her current post- not after she had managed to gain such high level security clearance. The things Ranveig was working on here... it was imperative that the Blade of Marmora kept track of them.

What she _wanted_ was to leave, to go to Earth, consequences be damned- but she knew that she couldn't do that. If this... _Champion_ knew Keith, then perhaps he was not as alone as she first thought.

"You are to remain at your post, and await further orders." Kolivan stated. "We will discuss any potential consequences for your deception later."

There were still a million more questions that she wished to ask, but she knew she could not. She had already tested Kolivan's faith in her, and she could not do that again. "Understood."

"Good."

And because she knew Kolivan so well, she recognized when those hard lines softened.

"I am sorry for your loss."

"Yes," closing her eyes, Krolia could only see Heath's smile behind them, "-so am I."

* * *

She barely had time to grieve.

She did not understand how, but her cover had been blown. She'd escaped with her life, but just barely- it had been a near thing.

Kolivan had sent her orders. She was to regroup with Ulaz, who had been given a new post in the Thaldycon system, monitoring communications. She did not get a straight answer from him as to why her position had been compromised- it was Ulaz who had informed her instead.

"Your son stole the red lion."

She had nearly choked.

Then she had laughed. Long and hard.

Because that truly, _truly_ sounded like the child Heath would raise. _Their_ child. Details were sparse, but it was easy to imagine the disgruntled expression on Sendak's face as he realized that his pride had been snatched right out from under him.

By one he would call a _halfbreed_ , nonetheless. Obsessed with purity as he was, it would be the ultimate insult.

How they had managed to connect Keith to her, she didn't understand. In spite of the fact that Heath told her once that he took after her, that didn't change the fact that appearance-wise, he barely looked Galra. That said, the last time she had seen Keith, he'd still been in diapers, so a lot could have changed during that time period.

She just didn't think that would.

At least, not under normal circumstances. But with a child that was half-human, it was impossible to say what _normal_ was.

Once she collected herself, Krolia drew in a breath, long and deep. "You're sure?"

"We are sure." Ulaz stated- unmoved, even in face of her fit of laughter. "We managed to intercept communications from Sendak's ship. He demanded that there be an inquiry into where your loyalties lay. Given the timing of it, we assumed it had to be related to your son."

Letting out a low hum, Krolia nodded her head. "That is when you contacted me."

"Yes," Ulaz told her, "-we cannot afford to lose an operative of your capabilities."

He made it sound so cut and dry, without any sentiment. That was simply how things were.

For a moment, she allowed herself to think of Heath. Of his fond smiles, the way he laughed... and then she shoved it deep down, somewhere where it couldn't cause her pain. He was gone, like so many others before him. Dwelling on it would change nothing.

"How is it that you are so sure he stole the lion?" Krolia inquired.

"Reports indicate that Sendak's ship was destroyed." Ulaz stated. "By Voltron."

The implications were not lost on her.

Voltron.

"Are you saying," Krolia began, choosing her words carefully, "-that my son has been chosen to be a paladin?"

Ulaz didn't even so much as blink. "Yes."

A paladin.

Her son was a _paladin_.

She felt her chest swell with something akin to pride. She had always known that Keith was destined for something great, but a paladin of Voltron? It was beyond anything that she could have expected. She wondered which lion had accepted him- Ulaz made it sound as if it were the red lion, but surely, out of all the lions, it would not be that one.

Perhaps the blue lion.

Certainly not the black. She could only imagine that it would be loathe to accept another Galra paladin, even one who only bore half that blood.

"Are we to approach, then?" Krolia asked, keeping her tone as neutral as possible. "These new paladins of Voltron may prove to be vital allies."

Ulaz made no comment on her clear ulterior motives, though he doubtlessly was aware of them. "Kolivan's orders are that we should remain where we are."

"Besides," and there was a hint of amusement to his voice, a twinkle of mirth in his eyes that she was so familiar with, "-if we wait, they will simply come to us."

She never did quite get the chance to ask him what he meant.

* * *

Ulaz was right. They did.

In spite of the empire's attempts to suppress the information, word traveled fast. A Balmera in the Javeeno system, previously under imperial control, had fallen to Voltron. The dying Balmera, on the verge of collapse, had been wholly revived by the Altean princess, awake now after a ten thousand year slumber.

Her _son_ had done that.

Both as a mother, and as a Blade, she was proud.

Maybe he hadn't done it alone, but that didn't change the fact that her son had been involved with the liberation of countless slaves. The Balmera in question had been under Galran control for generations- some would likely be experiencing freedom for the first time.

Thanks in part to her son. Her _half-Galra_ son.

And now they were here.

It could not be anyone else but the paladins of Voltron. If the blue lion had been a sight, then seeing the Castle of Lions, an ancient Altean warship described only in legend, emerge from a wormhole had been enough to momentarily take her breath away.

It was not the sight itself- though the castle-ship was stunning, no doubt about that. But rather, it was what it represented.

Hope.

Fragile and tenuous, but nevertheless, hope.

So she was proud.

Yet at the same time, the feeling settled in her stomach like a cold stone. This was the war that she had been trying to keep Keith _away_ from. It was why she had left.

Now, not only had the war found him, but her choice had left him alone. She didn't know for how long- but for however long it was, it was too long.

She did not expect him to forgive her.

If he even _knew_ her. She had left that part up to Heath. She'd known, when she'd left, that he hadn't been happy about it- he'd never said anything, but she knew him well enough to know. The only thing holding him back was that deep in his heart, he knew she was right. The Galra would not stop.

And they hadn't.

But now, Keith was _here_.

Part of her swore that she could sense him. The rest of her knew that what she was sensing was her own blade, imbued with her life force, passed down and left behind for her son.

"It's Keith."

Ulaz paused in his preparations. They were both fairly certain that the castle-ship could only belong to the paladins of Voltron, but there was no promise that there was not a trap somewhere in this, even if the paladins themselves weren't aware of it.

"Your son?"

Merely nodding her head, Krolia's lips set themselves in a hard line. She wanted to do nothing more than go over there herself, to see him- but Ulaz was one of the few Blades that outranked her, so the task would fall on him.

Ulaz merely hummed. "Go to him, then."

Blinking, Krolia turned on her heel, looking back at him. "You're certain?"

"I would not say it if I wasn't." Ulaz told her, nodding his head. "Go. You've been wanting to see him all this time, haven't you?"

"I don't even know if he'll know me." Krolia admitted.

"Backing down doesn't seem like you." Ulaz noted.

Frowning, she narrowed her eyes. There was a sharp retort on the edge of her tongue, but she knew Ulaz was right. This wasn't like her. It was true- it had been her decision that had resulted in Keith being left alone, and she needed to accept that, and the consequences it resulted in.

Exhaling, she gazed up at the Altean castle-ship, feeling the pulse of her blade.

"I'll go."

* * *

She went.

She made no attempts to hide herself. If she wished it, she could gain access to the bridge without them ever knowing they had been boarded.

She went unmasked.

She could feel the pulse of her blade, the way it spiked. It, and the one who wielded it, were coming closer. Without realizing it, she caught herself holding her breath.

Footsteps. Her ears twitched, picking up on the quiet sound. From the hall up ahead. She couldn't help but notice that they didn't sound armored.

He was coming.

Her son.

Keith, who she had not seen since he was a baby. Who had grown up without her. Without his father, though she did not know for how long. It was enough to make her almost want to turn back- what right did she have to show up and try to claim him now? She had abandoned him, there was no changing that.

All the pretty words in the world couldn't change that. And she had never been very good at pretty words.

Heath had. She loved him for it.

Almost too quickly, there he was.

The last time she had seen him, he had been just a babe. He'd begun to crawl, but hadn't yet started to walk. She remembered how Heath had joked that he thought he would learn to run before he learned how to walk. He had always seemed in such a hurry to get places, even though as far as they knew, he had nowhere to actually go.

She could tell he'd run here.

Heath had been right. He _had_ taken after her.

She'd just underestimated by how much.

No wonder Sendak had recognized him so quickly as her son. The stark black color of his hair hadn't changed since she had seen him last, but the son that she had left behind, who had once been so _human_ , was now just as Galra as she.

But it _was_ him.

She didn't need the markings on his cheeks, ones clearly passed down from her, to realize that. Nor did she need the blade he wore at his waist, hitched to his father's belt, that she could feel her own life force from, pulsing stronger than ever now that she was so near.

(She wondered if Keith could feel it too. He'd always seemed drawn to the blue lion as a babe, always leaving her wondering.)

Nor did she need the way the sight of her took his breath away, nor the gleam of _longing_ that surfaced in his eyes- their color, sclera aside, unchanged from how she remembered it.

"...mom?"

He _knew_ her.

She breathed his name, escaping before she could stop it. "Keith."

Eighteen. He had grown so much. Shorter than either herself or his father, but he had been so small as a baby, that this did not surprise her. The red and white of his jacket and his boots- it reminded her with a pang of Heath's hoverbike, that had been his pride and joy.

She recalled how he had stolen Galra parts to improve it, and she recalled how she had helped him. She wondered if he'd ever been able to teach Keith how to ride it.

When had he died?

"You're here." Keith's voice cracked, almost in disbelief. "You're- it's really you."

She felt something in her soften, any thoughts of the mission forgotten. Taking a tentative step forward, it turned into another, then another- before she knew it, she was standing in front of him, her breath still caught in her throat at the sight of him.

Her son.

Her son, who she thought she would never see again.

Cupping his face with her hands, she couldn't help but take note of the rough texture of his skin, so much like her own. When he had been a babe, she had always been so gentle with him, afraid that she might hurt him with her claws. Now it seemed she no longer had to hold on to such fears.

Her touch was gentle anyways.

"I should say the same of you." She whispered, only dimly aware that they were no longer alone. Those who had joined them hung back, as if unwilling to intrude upon the scene. "I never thought- I never thought I would be able to see you again."

"Well," cracking a smile, that was so much like Heath's that it made her heart sting anew, "-I'm here. Probably not like you remember me, but..."

There was so much vulnerability in those words.

Dropping her hands from his face, she pulled him into an embrace, before she was even fully aware of what it was that she was doing. She didn't know what had happened to cause him to take on this appearance, but it had to have been nothing good.

She hadn't been there for that either.

"Keith, I'm," she began, hearing her own voice crack, "-I'm sorry. Your father, I heard..."

Though hesitant at first, she slowly felt his arms wrap around her in turn. She could feel the faintest prick of claws, wondering if Keith too, had to learn to be gentle. "Don't be. It's not your fault."

"I should have been there." Krolia told him. "I never should have left."

"Dad told me you didn't have a choice." Keith said, his head buried in her chest. He was still young for a Galra, but in human terms, he was nearing the cusp of adulthood. But if he felt any embarrassment at showing such a scene to the other paladins- and the Altean princess, she noted, out of the corner of her eye- he either wasn't showing it, or just hadn't thought about it.

Either way, he held her like he was afraid she might disappear.

"I always had a choice." Krolia half whispered. "I just made the wrong one."

She'd always found Heath's round ears so quaint, much as they impeded his ability to hear. But even though he now possessed ears much like her own, this close, it wouldn't have made any difference if he didn't.

Pulling away, Keith looked up at her. She caught the brief flicker of a third eyelid, before it receded. It was an adaptation that she didn't possess, and its presence lead her to wonder just how _long_ Keith had possessed a Galra appearance.

If he'd ever gotten the chance for a normal life at all.

But no matter what he looked like, it didn't change the fact that he was her son, and that she loved him. So much more than she ever thought possible.

And she thought quite a bit.

"You helped keep the blue lion safe." Keith told her. "And now we're here."

 _ **I'm**_ _here_ , was the unspoken implication.

Carefully touching his face, she let the tips of her claws lightly trail where they brushed the back of his head. Her mother had once done this to her, when she was a child- and though he was a good deal older than she had been when it had been done to her last, he nonetheless leaned into it, eyes flickering closed. Relaxed.

The number of questions she wanted to ask was seemingly endless. About his father. About him. How his appearance had changed. How he had gotten this far out in space. How he knew the Champion. If he'd ever made any friends.

How long she had left him alone.

But none of that mattered, not now, not in this instant.

"Yes," she said, her voice soft, "-you are."


	3. stellar survivor

This took me a little longer to write than I thought it would! A combination of it fighting me in places and just general life chaos- we're getting out kitchen redone! It's very hard to focus on anything much less writing when you have old cabinets being ripped out and new ones put in right underneath you. Anyways, here is the previously promised Allura POV for the _desert born/desert raised_ series.

I'm uploading this alongside the Heath and Krolia POV's just to keep all of the oneshots in one place here, since FFnet doesn't really have a system in place that lends itself to series with more than one entry like AO3 does. If I write anymore oneshots like this, I'll put them here too!

* * *

 **stellar survivor**

* * *

Even within the Castle, she swore she could still smell the fire and smoke that engulfed its surroundings. She didn't even have to look outside to know, it was obvious to all.

Altea was burning.

The smell of smoke still clung to her even as the chill of the cryopod faded, leaving her momentarily puzzled. How had she gotten into a pod? The last thing she remembered, she had been with her father, and he'd- he'd...

 _"If all goes well, we will see each other again soon."_

As she stumbled out of her pod, still disorientated from her long sleep, something told Allura that things hadn't gone as her father had planned. Something purple caught her eyes, and she realized with a shock that there was a Galra nearby. Though her muscles were still stiff from the cold, she acted on instinct, pinning the Galra to the ground.

It was only after she had done so, that she realized this Galra was no solider. He barely even looked old enough to qualify for military service.

"Keith!"

Allura jerked her head up, narrowing her eyes. She half expected to find more Galra, but instead found a race which she had never seen before. They nearly looked Altean, but none of them possessed markings, and their ears were ugly and round. Their pupils all shared one color in common- black, unlike the many colored pupils of her people. It was better than the alternative, but still provided her no comfort.

"You will tell me just who you are," Allura demanded slowly, making sure her hold on the squirming Galra was a bit more secure, grinding her knee deeper into his back, "-and why you have brought a Galra into _my_ castle."

One of them, the small one, who couldn't possibly be older than a child, stepped forward, glowering at her. "Let go of Keith!"

Allura narrowed her eyes, her gaze briefly flickering down towards the Galra. _Keith_ was not a name she was familiar with, and certainly didn't seem very Galra. That still didn't mean she trusted him, though- they had trusted the Galra before, and look where _that_ had gotten them. The entire galaxy at war, and for what? _Quintessence_?

She failed to see how it could possibly be worth the lives lost.

"I will do no such thing." Allura said firmly, though after a moment of consideration, she added, "-not until you answer my questions. Who are you people? Allies of the Galra?"

If they were, then she was severely outnumbered. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Coran emerge from the pod next to hers, quickly assessing the situation, with that careful eye that had earned him his spot as her father's trusted advisor. Still, Coran was old, and though his mind was still sharp, his strength was considerably lacking. She loved him dearly, but he wouldn't be of much use in a fight, not unarmed.

"Hold on," the tall one said, holding his hands up as if to placate her, "-I think there's been a misunderstanding. I promise you, we're not allies of the Galra Empire."

Allura narrowed her eyes. "And yet you have a Galra amongst your numbers."

"I'm not," the Galra's voice was raspy- a bit _too_ raspy, as if he were struggling to breathe properly, "-I'm not with the Empire."

She didn't believe him. They had heard much the same from the Galra who had slain her mother, that he wasn't with the Empire. That he was on _their_ side, working against Zarkon and his horrid ambitions. It had all proven to be a lie, but by the time anyone realized it, it was too late to stop him.

Still, she did at least slightly reduce the amount of pressure she'd applied to his back. It wouldn't do if he chocked on his own breath, not before she got the chance to ask him some questions first. She needed to find out just how long she had been in the pod, and what fate had befallen her father and the rest of her people.

And Voltron- what of Voltron? If Zarkon got his hands on the black lion...

"Please, I'll explain everything, but let Keith go first." The tall one spoke again. For the first time, she really looked at him. There was a scar across the bridge of his nose that looked recent, and his arm... they had developed prosthetics on Altea, but nothing _this_ advanced. It looked almost as if it powered itself.

He also looked _desperate_. He kept looking towards the Galra she had pinned with what she recognized to be concern. He _cared_ for him, she realized. As did the small one- the other two only looked confused, and just a tad afraid, as if they didn't fully understand what was going on. But they were afraid of _her_ , she realized, not this... this _Keith_.

(What sort of name was _Keith_ anyways?)

"Princess," Coran's voice was soft, yet firm, "-I think you should listen to him."

Allura frowned. She was loathe to do so, but thus far no one had so much as made a move to attack. With no small amount of hesitation, she released the Galra, who wasted no time in getting as far away from her as he possibly could. She didn't miss the way he reached for the knife at his back, and she inwardly cursed herself for not having the forethought to disarm him while she had the chance. An armed Galra was even more dangerous than an unarmed one, even one this young.

Still, he made no move to actually unsheathe the knife. His hand simply hovered there, as if he were preparing to defend himself from another attack. She wanted to laugh at it, but she couldn't find the mirth with which to do so. The sound simply died in her throat.

"I have released him." She said. "Now answer me. Who are you? And why have you brought a Galra here with you?"

"My name is Takashi Shirogane." The scarred one introduced himself. Finally, another name to put with a face. "I come from a planet called Earth. We _all_ do. Now why don't you tell us who you are, so we can try to come to some sort of understanding?"

Earth? She'd never heard of it. She also didn't miss the way this _Takashi's_ gaze darted towards Keith as he said that. Clearly, he was from Earth too, however much he didn't look it. Was this _Earth_ yet another planet conquered by the Galra, then? Some kind of colony planet, perhaps. If that were true, why would this man be so concerned for the fate of one of his very oppressors?

Then again, she supposed this Keith _was_ a bit runty. Perhaps the other Galra wanted nothing to do with him- not that it made her pity him any.

"I am Princess Allura, of planet Altea." Allura introduced herself, not yet taking her eyes off of Keith. "And you _still_ have not answered my question."

"Weren't you listening?" The short one half asked, half demanded. "Keith's _from_ Earth. He's human, like the rest of us."

Allura blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the statement. He certainly didn't _look_ like the others. "I think I know a Galra when I see one."

"He could be a hybrid." Coran offered. "Bit short for a Galra."

In response, Keith gave Coran a curt nod of this head. He'd moved his hand away from his knife, instead folding both arms in front of his chest. "I'm half-human, on my father's side. Like Pidge said, I was born and raised on Earth. I'm _not_ with the empire."

He sounded rather insistent, but she wasn't sure if she believed him or not. Oh, she believed he was of mixed blood readily enough- it would explain his rather short stature. It was his claims that he wasn't with the Empire that she didn't trust. "So you say."

"Princess," Takashi cut in before their exchange could go any further, "-I promise you, Keith _isn't_ your enemy. He's the one who helped us find the blue lion. That's what brought us here."

Allura tensed, alarmed at his statement. How could she not? The last she'd heard of the blue lion, Blaytz still flew it. If the blue lion were here, then why wasn't he here with them?

"Why would _you_ have the blue lion?" Allura demanded. "What happened to its paladin?"

"Blaytz is dead." Keith told her. "He died ten thousand years ago, with the rest of the original paladins."

All at once, every ounce of fury in Allura's body vanished as if it had been sucked out of her. Died? Blaytz was dead? And not just him either, but- no, it _couldn't_ be. If the paladins were dead, then that meant that her father...

How could that- how could that be true? And for it to have been _ten thousand years_? No- that couldn't... this _had_ to be some sort of Galra trick, all of it. She could not have been asleep for ten thousand years. That just wasn't possible.

"That cannot- that cannot be right." Allura stammered. "How can you be so sure?"

"I'm not." Keith admitted. "All I know is what my mother told my father."

No. She didn't want to believe it. She _refused_ to believe it. Her father had to be alive- not only him, but all the other paladins as well. He... he had promised her. He'd promised her they would see each other again soon. He wouldn't... he wouldn't have lied to her like that, would he have?

 _Would_ he have?

"Coran," Allura slowly began, "-check to see if it is true."

For a tick, Coran didn't move, as if he were frozen to the spot with shock himself. Then slowly, he made his way to the podium, checking the Castle's logs for himself. She watched as he grew even paler, and she felt something sink like a heavy stone in her chest.

She realized it was her heart.

"Well?" Allura asked, fearing that she already knew the answer. "Is it true? Or is it just another Galra lie?"

"...I'm afraid it's true, princess." Coran looked back towards her, grief as deep as the seas in his eyes. "We've been asleep for ten thousand years. Altea... Altea is gone."

Shock was the only thing that kept her standing, freezing her in place. That couldn't... how could such a thing be possible? Altea, her home, her _people_... Everyone she knew, all gone in what was to her, the blink of an eye.

Ten thousand years.

Before she could be overcome by such unspeakable grief, she transformed it into something easier to deal with- _anger_. Clenching her fists, one face, and one face alone flashed through her mind- the one who was surely responsible for this all.

" _Zarkon_."

* * *

Altea might be gone, and with it, her father and the paladins, but there was still one hope left- they had not taken Voltron with them. The black lion still slept, securely locked away in the Castle, and now the blue lion was here, guided back to them by the lanky looking human whose name was Lance.

This, she knew, was a sign.

If the blue lion had brought them all here, then surely it had done so for a reason. She still didn't understand why it had felt the need to bring a Galra along, even one of mixed blood, but she supposed she could find _some_ use for him. He certainly couldn't be a paladin, she thought, as she guided the group to the bridge, always keeping Keith in her peripheral.

He made no move to do anything, but that still didn't mean she trusted him. She believed what Takashi- or _Shiro_ , rather- had told her, that he was half-human, and had been raised outside of the Galra Empire. That didn't mean he wouldn't turn on them as soon as he had the chance- though she had to admit, both Shiro and the small one, whose name she had learned was _Pidge_ , seemed to have a great deal of faith in him.

Faith that she simply couldn't understand. He was _Galra_ , for heaven's sake- even if this _Earth_ was supposedly a pre-contact planet, didn't they know what that meant? Shiro surely must have, since from the sound of it, the Galra had kept him as his prisoner for over a deca-phoeb. So how was it that he seemed to trust him so implicitly? Exactly what kind of relationship did they have?

She had a million such questions, in fact, but no time to dwell on them- not when there was a Galra battlecruiser headed in their direction. They would have to act quickly if they were to have any hope of reforming Voltron.

She would just have to keep an eye on Keith, she decided. Just to be safe.

Ascending the raised platform in the center of the bridge, Allura closed her eyes, drawing in a long breath. Holding out her hands, two pillars rose up at her command. Resting her hands on them, she felt a bit of their warmth seep into her, and drew strength from it. Altea and her people might be gone, but the Castle of Lions still remained, as did Coran.

Not all was lost. There was still hope.

Reaching out with her mind, she searched for the lion's energy signatures. She found those of the Black and Blue Lions automatically, seeing as they were already here on Arus, and Green came in the very next tick. Yellow remained more elusive, before it too, showed itself to her. But the red lion... something clouded her view of it. She had a general sense of it, but she could not find it, no matter how much effort she exerted. It was simply beyond her reach.

She felt a deep sense of unease at that. The red lion had been her father's lion, so for her to not be able to find it... she feared the worst. Her father might have hidden all the lions, but it _had_ been ten thousand years since then- Zarkon was bound to find at least one of them in that amount of time. But for it to be her father's...

Even worse, the quintessence she sensed from Keith seemed to sync up with that of the red lion's. But that was impossible. The Galra had killed her father- how could one of them be a paladin? How could _any_ Galra, even one of mixed blood, be a paladin again, after what the last one had done? And of the red lion, no less! Even if she let herself believe that Keith was someone she could trust, the thought of him piloting her father's lion... there _had_ to be some sort of mistake. There must be.

So when it came time to tell them of the red lion, she lied. There was no paladin for the red lion, she claimed. But lying about it only made it more apparent that it had to be true- for she could taste the lie as soon as it left her lips, an awful, sour taste that refused to leave her mouth.

Still, she persisted. She didn't want to believe it. She couldn't accept it.

Why not _her_? The red lion had been her father's lion. Surely she could fly it just as well as he once had.

Even worse, somehow Keith _knew_ that she was lying, she sensed. He said nothing against it, gritting his teeth and looking away in resigned acceptance. Somehow that only made it worse. She would have rather had him scream at her, to shout out that it was his right to pilot the red lion- so that she could coldly rebuke him, and remind him of his place in all this. The lions had been created by Altean alchemy, by her father. How dare he act like he had any claim to them, after what his people had done?

But he didn't. He just accepted it.

And that... that just made her feel like she'd done something terrible. She hadn't, she told herself. She had only acted to protect her father's legacy, that was all. Besides, it had to be some sort of mistake- maybe... maybe something was off, in the way she couldn't pinpoint exactly where the red lion was.

(It wasn't true. She knew it. She kept lying to herself anyways.)

She looked away from him, even when Shiro turned to speak to him. She tried not to listen, but she did anyways, if only to try and puzzle out the mystery behind their strange relationship. Shiro's tone was soft yet supportive, and it was transparently obvious that Keith looked up to him a great deal, which only furthered the mystery.

Those thoughts were still on her mind well after Keith had left, heading with Pidge to recover the green lion. She'd wanted to say something against it, but she instead held her tongue. If Keith _were_ to betray them, now would be the time. She would feel sorry for Pidge if that turned out to be the case, but she felt confident that the green lion would protect her new paladin.

She'd always done so for Trigel.

No sooner had their pod left, did Shiro turn to face her. "We need to talk."

Allura simply huffed, making a show of tinkering with the Castle's systems. "I do not know what there is to talk about."

She had expected something like this, but even so, she was surprised by just how protective he sounded. In a way, it reminded her of her father. Thinking about him just made her heart hurt, and she quickly forced the feeling away, not ready to deal with it just yet.

"Yes, you do." Shiro challenged. "You said there was no paladin for the red lion, but I saw the way you looked at Keith."

She narrowed her eyes, grateful that her back was turned. She had been so focused on Keith, that she hadn't stopped to watch anyone's else reaction, but clearly, Shiro was more perceptive than she had thought. In a way, she supposed that was a good thing- if he was to be the new black paladin, he would need to be.

Still, right now she wished he were a little _less_ so.

In truth, she knew what she was doing was wrong. She could hardly be picky, not when they so clearly needed Voltron. And yet... she just couldn't. The red lion was all she had left of her father. How could she just... _give it away_?

"My _father_ was the original paladin of the red lion." Allura said, finally turning to face him. "I am not about to let some Galra fly it."

"From what I saw with Lance and the blue lion, I don't think that's your choice, princess." Shiro stated flatly, the sheer frankness of his words causing her to bristle- especially since she knew full well he was completely right. That _wasn't_ how the lions worked.

"I know you have every reason to hate the Galra." Shiro continued- and she nearly wanted to scoff. The Galra had betrayed them in mass, had massacred her people. Of course she did. "But Keith was raised on Earth. He's just as human as the rest of us."

Allura simply narrowed her eyes, unconvinced. "How can you be so sure? For all you know, he could be lying to you."

"Because," Shiro locked eyes with her, "-I raised him."

Oh. She had to admit, she wasn't quite sure what she expected their relationship to be, but she hadn't... she hadn't thought they were _family_. In hindsight, it seemed to explain so much- the soft touches on the shoulder, the way they spoke to one another, how Shiro had encouraged Keith when he had expressed his doubts. She idly wondered if they were actually related, connected by blood on his human side, before she decided it likely didn't matter.

She thought of Coran as family, yet the man shared no blood ties with her at all.

"Princess," Coran began, and she felt her heart lighten- surely Coran would agree with her, "-I think you should give the lad a chance."

Pivoting on her heel, Allura stared at Coran in horror. He couldn't have suggested what she thought he had. She must have misheard him.

"How can you even say that, Coran?" Allura asked. "You know how much my father trusted Zarkon, and yet he, and countless others we thought our allies, still betrayed him- betrayed _us_. The Galra are _not_ to be trusted."

"That may be so," Coran softly said, "-but the boy isn't Zarkon."

Clenching her fists, Allura tore her gaze away from Coran. She barely even heard what Shiro had to say, too caught up in the fact that not even _Coran_ agreed with her.

Even worse, she knew he was right.

He _wasn't_ Zarkon. His appearance aside, he was barely even Galra. Keith had been raised there, by Shiro, by _humans_ \- so she supposed that made him just as human as his name would suggest. He'd even kept the blue lion safe all these deca-phoebs, leading not only its own paladin to it, but the rest of the new paladins as well.

She shut her eyes, trying to calm herself. Part of her still rebelled against the idea, but... Coran was right. _Shiro_ was right. She was letting her grief and anger cloud her judgement, allowing it to blind her.

But how couldn't she? Altea... to her, it had only been yesterday that it was still thriving, even if its people were at war. The paladins of old, her father... they were all still alive. And now everyone and everything she had once known were gone.

Well, not _everything_ , she supposed. The Castle of Lions was still here. Voltron was still here. And not every _one_ either. There was Coran- and the mice, she supposed. She wondered if it was her father who had put them in there, or if they had snuck in on their own. It didn't really matter, she supposed- she was simply glad they were there.

She just... she wished there was _more_.

Realizing that Shiro was still waiting for an answer, Allura opened her eyes, holding her head high. "Fine. But just to be clear, I do not like this."

She didn't. She wasn't sure if she ever would. But right now, reforming Voltron was more important than her feelings, no matter how deeply they ran. Altea was gone. She couldn't change that. But she would not let that fate befall any other planets, not when she- when _they_ could stop it.

And to that end, they needed Voltron. The _universe_ needed Voltron. And for that, they would need all five paladins- no matter what she personally thought of them.

She just wished that she could be one of them.

* * *

In the chaos that followed, there was very little time to stop and think. Coran's initial estimate that the Galra cruiser would not arrive for another couple of quintants had proven incorrect- the cruiser had in fact arrived within a few vargas.

In a sense, it had been a stroke of luck- because onboard that cruiser was the red lion.

Seeing Keith wearing the red paladin armor had been... painful, even if she had been the one to give it to him. Her father had never worn this set, but it still didn't feel right to her. Handing him her father's bayard had felt even less right, and the fact that he had so readily transformed it into a sword... even if its shape wasn't that of an Altean broadsword, the similarity had been enough to force her to look away. She didn't want to admit that her father could possibly have anything in common with this _Galra_. She could only imagine what he would have thought- his lion, in the hands of someone with the blood of the enemy.

But sure enough, not only did he find the red lion, but he flew it too. Together, he and the new paladins had managed to form Voltron- more out of sheer desperation than anything else. The threat they faced from Sendak had abated, and now they could focus on getting the Castle ready to leave Arus, in order to escape further pursuers from the Galra.

The entire time, Keith had done nothing she found to be untrustworthy. She had begrudgingly accepted the fact that perhaps he was. But just because she could trust him, didn't mean she had to _like_ him, she resolved.

And yet... she still found herself outside the holodeck, even when she knew she should be working on repairs. The paladins had all gone to sleep- they deserved a long rest, after how stressful today had been. She suspected that a number of them were still awake, but they were not her concern at the moment. It was more than just the particle barrier and the lion sensors- ten thousand years of disuse had clearly taken a toll on the Castle. It was desperately in need of repair.

That's what she told herself, as she slipped inside the holodeck. She was just checking its functions, that was all. They might need it for paladin training. It had nothing to do with the fact that her father's AI was stored inside, a fact which had been revealed to her by Coran. Seeing her father in that state... she had felt so conflicted. Part of her was relieved that he was still with her in some way, but the rest of her... seeing it only confirmed what she already knew- that her father was gone, and wouldn't be coming back.

In spite of everything she told herself, the first thing she did was access her father's AI. She watched as a field of juniberries blossomed around her feet, an impossible scene now that Altea was gone. She could only pray that they still existed somewhere in the vast universe, but something made her doubt it. Zarkon likely would have wiped out every trace of Altea- even something as innocuous as a flower would be too much.

"Allura," her father's voice was still as warm as she remembered it, even if it was now tempered by a crackle of static, produced by a machine, "-is something wrong?"

"I-" Allura began, only to realize she didn't know what to say. She hadn't _meant_ to come here.

"We did it, father." Allura finally told him. "We found all the lions, and even formed Voltron. I wish you could have seen it."

Her father's smile was tempered by knowledge, and an understanding that this was not what had drawn her back to his chamber. "Tell me what truly troubles you, daughter."

Where could she even begin? The question was so vast, that she felt like she would get lost in it if she dwelled on it for too long. So instead, she simply blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"The red lion's new paladin is Galra."

There was a long pause, as her father simply looked at him, his hologram flickering every now and again. Then finally, he closed his eyes with a sigh, and said, "-I know."

Allura snapped her head up, her eyes wide with shock. "You know? How could you possibly-"

"I am connected to the Castle." Alfor told her. "What it knows, I know."

"Oh." Allura frowned, suddenly feeling even more uncertain of herself. She wondered if her father had seen her lie about the red paladin, and what he thought of it. "Coran says he's no Zarkon, but I... I don't know if I can make myself believe that. I know we need all five paladins in order to form Voltron, but..."

"I understand." Alfor said. "You were raised in volatile times. Trust is no longer something that comes easily to you."

"Some part of me knows that I'm being unreasonable." Allura admitted. "But I just... of all the lions, why did it have to be _yours_?"

"You know was well as I just how capricious the red lion can be." Alfor said with a smile- and she felt the edge of one tug at her lips too.

"I do." Allura said. She knew all too well, all of the red lion's past antics still fresh and vivid in her memory. "And I- I want to trust its choice, but how can I? The Galra, they took mother, took our home, took _you_."

"So they did." Alfor acknowledged. "But this new paladin didn't."

There it was, plain and simple. She knew her father was right- that Keith didn't have any involvement in anything the Galra had done. He had been raised as far away from them as possible, in a time where Altea was just a distant memory to most, if any remembered it at all. She couldn't hold him accountable for actions taken ten thousand years before his birth.

"I know." Allura finally admitted. "I know that he is not to blame for the Galra's actions, but when I see him, all I can think of is the Galra that killed mother."

Alfor merely sighed. "It is understandable. But you must remember Allura- there were Galra who sided with Altea too."

Allura looked up at him, blinking. Thinking back on it, she realized that he was right. Their numbers had been few, but they had remained loyal throughout the war. Crinkling her brow, she wondered why she had forgotten them so easily, only to quickly realize the answer for herself.

It was simply easier to hate, and hate universally, than dare to trust again after that trust had been shattered. When she awoke and heard that Altea had been destroyed, she'd likely blocked the memories from her mind, sealed away where they couldn't get in the way of her singular focus.

It might have actually taken, had it not been for Keith.

"I remember now." Allura said. "I was so focused on hating the Galra, that I almost forgot."

"Do not forget again, daughter." Alfor gently advised her. "Zarkon may have captured the hearts of most of people, but not all of them."

"What happened to them?" Allura asked. "Those who stood with us?"

Alfor shook his head. "They were destroyed along with Altea. I had them send their children away in hopes that some pocket of resistance could survive, but after that... I do not know."

Allura felt her shoulders slump, but at the same time, she couldn't help but wonder if the resistance that Keith's mother was supposedly a part of had been born from those survivors. It was a heartening thought, but at the same time, it brought with it a sharp realization. In her anger, she may have already burned what bridges she had with Keith.

"I fear that I have already sabotaged any possible relationship we could have." Allura admitted.

"Have you tried speaking with the boy?" Alfor inquired.

Her father or not, Allura bristled a bit at the implication. "Of course, I-"

"Alone." Alfor finished. "Preferably without a knee pressed to his back."

Allura's mouth snapped shut, and she found herself simply staring at her feet, as if she were a chastised little girl rather than someone on the cusp of womanhood. She certainly _felt_ like one. She _did_ feel at least somewhat bad for how she had first reacted, but how was she to know? The last thing she'd been aware of was that Zarkon's fleet was preparing to touch down, his soldiers preparing to invade. It wasn't an unreasonable assumption to make.

"No." Allura finally admitted. "I haven't."

"Perhaps you should." Alfor told her.

Allura frowned, looking up at him. "I- I'm not sure. He may not want to talk to me."

To that, her father merely gave her a reassuring smile. She wished that he could reach out, to rest a reassuring hand on her shoulder like he had always done- but she knew that it couldn't be. He was nothing more than a hologram now- no matter how advanced, she would never _truly_ be able to touch him.

"Perhaps not." Alfor admitted. "But you should still try."

Dropping her gaze, Allura fixed it on the juniberries by her feet. They too, were nothing more than an illusion. She wondered how long it would take for their scent to fade from her memory completely. Right now she could still recall it, fresh and vivid as if it were just yesterday- and in reality, she knew it was.

At least, it was to her.

"You are right." Allura admitted, finally looking up at her father. "But then, you always were."

Alfor smiled at her sadly. "I only wish that were so."

Allura swallowed, looking away. Hologram or not, there was so much guilt on her father's face that she couldn't bear to look at it. None of this was her father's fault, she knew- it was Zarkon's. _Zarkon_ had been the one to deceive her father, and Zarkon had been the one who had started this war. He'd even sped along his own planet's destruction in order to gain more power, and by opening the rift up further, had heralded its end.

All her father had done was trust him.

"I should... I should go." Allura said slowly. "There is still much work to be done."

For a tick, her father said nothing, then simply nodded. "I will be here when you need me."

Looking up at him again, she gave him a sad smile of her own. "I know."

* * *

For all that she had resolved to speak to Keith, it took nearly a full quintant for her to find a chance. She hadn't wanted to intrude into his quarters late at night, much as this was her ship. That didn't exactly sound like it would lend itself much to conversation, and the last thing she wanted to do was make him feel as if he were cornered.

She would approach him in public, she decided. That way he could turn her down if he really wanted to- since she doubted that the pressure would be on him, but rather on her. While Lance and Hunk appeared rather neutral on the whole subject, Shiro and Pidge had made their allegiances well-known- Pidge especially.

Her remarks at lunch had been... rather cutting, if she had to be honest. But at least they had lead to the desired result of the paladins finally working together as one, though she had to admit, she hadn't expected a _food fight_ of all things to be what did it. Her mother would have scolded her for sure if she'd known.

She also reasoned that being able to connect with his fellow paladins would have likely put Keith in a better mood, and perhaps make him more amiable to talking. She still didn't quite have a firm grip on his personality- or _any_ of their personalities, really- but he seemed... _quiet_ , at least when Shiro and Pidge weren't around.

So just before he could leave the lounge, Allura gathered all her courage, and called out to him. "Keith? Might I have a word?"

Keith froze, his hair almost standing on end- or was it fur? There _were_ some Galra with hair, though black was a rather unusual color for it. Perhaps it had come from his human father.

"Uh..." Keith trailed off, hesitantly looking back towards her.

Almost instantly, he was flanked by Pidge and Shiro, the former standing protectively in front of him with her arms spread as if she expected her to physically assault him. Which... she supposed was not entirely unfair, given how their initial meeting had gone.

Still, she couldn't help but huff. All she wanted to do with talk.

Shiro's reaction, in comparison, was far more measured. He simply hovered behind Keith, placing a hand on his shoulder- and for a tick, she nearly gave in to the brief feeling of envy that reared up from deep within her. How was it that _he_ got to experience the reassuring touch of a loved one, while her father had been reduced to a mere hologram? It didn't seem _fair_.

She banished it as quickly as it came.

"Anything you want to say to Keith, you can say to us." Pidge challenged, narrowing her eyes.

Allura opened her mouth to say something to that. "I-"

"It's okay, Pidge."

She snapped her mouth shut, staring at Keith in surprise. He was looking directly at her, violet pupils set in yellow sclera. She shuddered, but didn't look away.

"Are you sure, Keith?" Shiro asked. "You don't have to-"

"I'm sure." Keith said, before breaking his gaze, looking gratefully up towards Shiro. "But thanks."

Shiro held it for a moment, before heaving a sigh. "If you insist. Guess I'll just focus on putting Pidge here to bed."

She barely heard what Pidge said to that- something about not having a bedtime. It didn't matter, since it got them both out of the room. Keith tensed a little as the door shut behind them, before he just as quickly relaxed, letting out a held breath. Resolved though she might have been to have this conversation, they simply stood there in awkward silence for the next few doboshes. She had prepared a whole speech, but it suddenly fled from her mind.

"I'm sorry," Keith said suddenly, "-about your father."

Allura blinked. She hadn't expected him to start talking first. "O-oh. Thank you."

What felt like several more doboshes of awkward silence passed before Keith shifted on his feet. She felt herself flinch, and automatically, he froze. "I wasn't-"

"I know." Allura said hurriedly.

He didn't seem to relax at her reassurance, not that she could blame him. Now that she was actually alone with him, she realized just how _young_ he actually was. He couldn't possibly be any older than herself, if not just a bit younger. For all that he had held her gaze at first, it now kept drifting towards his feet- as did her own, if she was going to be perfectly honest.

"I know," he spoke again, his voice quiet enough that it could have been a whisper, "-I know how it feels."

Allura looked up, looking at him as if for the first time. Realization dawned across her features, as something suddenly clicked into place. "Your father...?"

Keith shook his head. "He fell one day while out in the desert. He- he didn't make it."

Allura felt her heart drop. Shiro had said that he'd raised him, but she hadn't thought... though in hindsight, she didn't know what else that statement could have possibly meant. It clearly had to have happened when Keith was very young, and in that instant, any lingering jealously that she had towards him vanished.

At least she had her father growing up.

"I'm sorry," Allura said, unintentionally repeating what Keith had said earlier, "-about your father."

Keith nodded, shifting on his feet again. This time she didn't flinch.

"Look," he began, "-I know how you feel about the Galra. I understand if you're not comfortable about having me around, but I swear that I won't betray you. My mother ended up on Earth because she wanted to keep the blue lion hidden from the rest of the Empire- to protect it. And I..."

"...I want to live up to that."

"I know what that's like." Allura said, without thinking. "For a long time, my father was my dream. I wanted to be just like him."

To her surprise, Keith actually _smiled_ at that. His fangs were clearly bared, but for the first time, she felt as if she could truly see the human behind the Galra's skin. "Yeah. Me too."

Oh, Allura realized, she'd been a fool. She'd been so angry, that she hadn't even stopped to notice just how much they had in common.

"What was he like?" Allura asked. "Your father, I mean."

"He was a pilot." Keith told her. "He worked for uh... the Galaxy Garrison. It's a space exploration program. Shiro and M- Pidge's family, they both worked for it too."

"My father was many things to many people." Allura told him. "King, alchemist, swordsman, paladin... but to me, he was always just my father."

"He flew the red lion, didn't he?" Keith asked.

This time, she didn't break eye contact. "Yes."

Keith's gaze dropped, a slight frown touching his lips. "I didn't mean- I didn't mean to take it away from you. I know how important it must be to you."

"It is." Allura admitted. "But the red lion would not choose someone it did not think was worthy. It can be very particular about who it chooses to be its paladin. So if it saw something in you, then I suppose I just have to trust it."

"Even though I'm Galra?" Keith asked, sounding unconvinced.

"I suppose I will have to get used to it." Allura said. "Though perhaps you should avoid say... sneaking up on me in any darkened chambers, at least for a little while."

That actually earned her a snort, and to her surprise, she was almost delighted to hear it. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind. I think I still have a bruise from yesterday."

"Oh," Allura flushed, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly guilty, "-yes, sorry about that. I thought-"

Keith shook his head. "I mean, I wasn't wild about being pinned down, but I get it. I spent _years_ preparing for what I would do if the Galra ever came back to Earth, so I probably would have done the same thing."

"Still, I should apologize." Allura said firmly. "I misjudged you."

Keith just shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time."

Somehow, she instinctively knew that he was lying. She nearly wanted to challenge it, but instead decided to simply accept his lie. It was being told out of kindness, even though she wasn't quite sure she deserved it, not after how she had treated him. It was certainly telling of his character, though. Truth be told, it only managed to make her feel even _worse_ \- but that was her own issue to overcome, not Keith's.

"Well," Allura instead said, "-I can assure you, it will not happen again."

"That's nice to know." Keith said. "So, uh... is there anything else?"

"Oh." Allura blinked, before shaking her head. "No. That's all."

Keith nodded, slowly taking a step backwards. "I should- I should probably go, then. It's been a long day."

"Of course." Allura said. "You should rest, especially since you will all be up early tomorrow to continue your training."

"Right." Keith bit back a groan. "Training."

"You didn't really think that one day of training would be all that was necessary to become a paladin of Voltron, did you?" Allura asked, arching her brows. "Certainly not with how you use your bayard."

Keith bristled at the remark, narrowing his eyes. "What's _wrong_ with the way I use my bayard?"

"You wield it like a knife." Allura complained.

He had clearly never been trained. Self-taught, maybe, but that was hardly the same thing as formal training. While he certainly possessed the ferocity and the singular focus of many a Galra warrior, he had none of the technical skill- or almost none, at any rate. What skill he did have was clearly meant for things other than fighting- hunting, maybe, or protecting himself from wild animals.

Unfortunately, lack of training seemed to do nothing to stop him from running headlong into a fight. Without training, he'd only get himself killed. He would perhaps die a little slower than the other paladins- Shiro not withstanding- but he was still most definitely die.

Keith opened his mouth to retort, but quickly snapped it shut. "Knives are what I'm used to."

"And that," Allura said, "-is exactly what training is for. If you are going to be a paladin, then knowing how to fight is essential."

Keith grumbled underneath his breath, muttering something she couldn't quite catch. "Fine. Guess you're right."

Allura smiled at that. "I am glad you understand."

Perhaps she could even dig out some of the old combat routines that Zarkon had once used. If they were going to have a Galra aboard the ship, they might as well use him to his full potential.

"In that case, I really should get some sleep." Keith told her, turning on his heel. She didn't miss the fact that he still kept a wary eye on her- apparently she was not the only one who knew that reconciling their difference was not going to be as simple as either of them made it sound.

"Please," Allura said, "-do not let me hold you up any longer."

Keith slowly nodded, edging towards the door. He paused just in front of it, chancing a glance behind her. "Do you... do you want to see it sometime? The red lion, I mean."

Allura blinked, not expecting the question. Then slowly, a smile crossed her lips. "I would love to."

Keith faintly returned her smile, before he ducked back out into the hall. She was not entirely surprised to find that Pidge and Shiro were waiting for him outside. The former greeted him, affectionately ruffling his hair, while the latter squinted at her suspiciously until Keith assuaged whatever fears she held.

Shiro caught her eye, his smile the last thing she saw before the door shut behind Keith. Once it did, her shoulders slumped, long held tension being released as she exhaled.

That certainly could have gone worse. If anything, she would say it had gone rather well. Slumping down on the couch in a rather un-princess-like fashion, she let herself wonder for a moment if she was really doing the right thing by trying to make amends. What if...?

Allura shook her head, pushing herself to her feet. No. She couldn't let herself get caught up in what _could_ be. The red lion- her _father's_ lion- had chosen Keith. She would just have to believe in it's choice. She had told her father she would, and she didn't intend to back down on that promise. That was not how she did things.

But the black lion had also once chosen _Zarkon_ , a particularly nasty part of her whispered. Who was to say this new Galra paladin wouldn't turn out exactly like him?

As much as she wished she could resolutely shut it down, she didn't have an answer to that. She didn't know. She wished she did. Having spoken with him, it didn't seem as if Keith would go down that path. But then... she had never expected Zarkon to betray them either. Not in life- and not in whatever he had become after his death.

Bringing up the distress calls the Castle had received over the past ten thousand years with a wave of her hand, Allura's mouth set itself in a tight frown. For a long time, she simply sat there, listening to them play out, a cacophony of noise of screams in hundreds of different languages, some she knew, and others she didn't.

Nearly every one of them mentioned the Galra.

A monster, Allura decided. That was what Zarkon had become.

She closed out all the distress calls, trying very hard not to think of the times before the war. She would try and get along and work with Keith, and possibly even the resistance that his mother worked for, should they ever find them.

But Zarkon... Zarkon she would never forgive.

 _Never_.


	4. desert friend

Long time, no update! Not since April! Thought it was about time to drop in for some new content for this verse, so have a Pidge POV. Aside from the first part, which is pre-canon, most of this chapter takes place in between the first episode and _Tears of the Balmera_. Don't know when I'll be back with more content for this verse, but as always, keep an eye out, because you just never know!

* * *

 **desert friend**

* * *

Katie squirmed in her seat, peering out the window, watching as the city streets slowly began to give way to desert. Her dad hadn't said much before loading them in the car, just that they were going to meet the son of an old coworker of his from the Garrison, a kid close to Matt's age whose name was Keith. He'd called it a playdate, and had laughed when she'd huffed and said that she was too old for those.

He hadn't said _anything_ about him living in the _desert_.

"Dad?" Matt asked, shifting in his seat a little. "Where exactly are we going?"

"Like I said before, there's someone I want you to meet." Sam said.

"Yeah, but in the desert?" Matt asked.

Sam just chuckled, glancing back towards them. "Fair enough. Keith is a little... _different_."

"Different?" Katie asked. "Different how?"

"Well, for starters, his mom's not from around here." Sam told them, momentarily taking one hand off the wheel to point up towards the sky. "She's from up there."

Katie blinked, exchanging a glance with her brother. What did he mean, from _up there_? That was the sky. People didn't come from the _sky_.

Unless... what if he didn't mean the sky? What if he meant what was past it?

What if he meant _space_?

"Dad," Matt began slowly, clearly thinking the same thing she was, "-are you telling me Keith's an alien?"

"I guess you could say that." Sam said- and she swore she could see him smiling, even from the back seat. "He was born here, though, and his father's a human, so he's only half-alien."

Katie just stared at her father, caught between wondering if he was just teasing them, or if he was being serious. She really hoped he was being serious- having an alien for a best friend would only be like, the coolest thing ever!

Especially given that her attempts at making friends at school... well, they hadn't been going too well. But maybe this _Keith_ would be different. From the sound of it, he didn't have very many friends either. That was the whole reason her dad was bringing them out here.

"Now, before we get too excited," Sam's voice cut in, "-I just want you to know that Keith can be kind of sensitive about his looks."

"Why?" Katie asked. "What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing's wrong with him." Sam said, giving her a warning look. "He just takes more after his mother, that's all. He's purple, for one thing."

 _Purple_. She tried to picture just what this _Keith_ might look like, but it wasn't like she had a lot of information. A half-human alien kid around Matt's age who was purple left a lot to the imagination. She wondered if he had any extra limbs or eyes, or maybe a tail. Did he have horns? Wings? Did he have any special powers?

By the time they actually pulled up to the shack, her head was swimming with possibilities. Some were more... _inventive_ than others, and when she got to know Keith better, they'd both had a good laugh about them. Some of them had been pretty out there, so imagine her surprise when she finally got to space herself and found out that there were aliens just like she had envisioned- and more.

But that was jumping way ahead of the story. She hadn't even met Keith yet.

"We're here." Sam said, bringing the car to a stop.

Peering out the window, Katie's brows knit together. "Is this it?"

All she could see was a rundown looking shack. Sure, she could see someone standing on the porch, but they were hardly an alien. She even knew who he was, though she'd only ever seen him in pictures or on the TV. He was Takashi Shirogane, a budding talent from the Galaxy Garrison, where her father worked. He was a pilot or something, if she remembered correctly- and she also remembered that he was way too young to have a kid around Matt's age, so he couldn't be the coworker her dad had mentioned. Besides, there was nothing _former_ about him. She'd just seen him on TV last week, doing an interview.

"This is it." Sam told her. "Come on, let's go say hello."

Leaving no room for argument, her dad got out of the car, shutting the door behind him. She exchanged a glance with Matt, before her brother just shrugged his shoulders and got out too. She lingered in the car for a few seconds longer, before she huffed, unbuckling her seatbelt and hoping out, slightly less excited than she had been just earlier.

Squinting, she looked in the direction of the shack- and the man standing on the porch. Now that she looked closer, she noticed there was someone standing behind him, almost hiding behind his legs. Every so often, she caught a glimpse of them, a head of black hair popping out. Getting a little closer, she realized that he was purple, just like her dad had said he was.

Matt noticed it too, his eyes going wide. "Whoa. You _are_ purple."

The kid- _Keith_ , probably- flinched, ducking further behind Shiro's leg. A second later, he peeked his head back out, watching them both through narrowed eyes. At least, she _thought_ he was watching them- his eyes were weird, like they were all pupil or no pupil- or maybe all the colors just matched, so it only _looked_ that way.

Huffing, she wished he would just come out and stop hiding. They had come all this way just to meet him, and she could barely _see_ him past Mister Shirogane's legs. How was she supposed to be friends with someone who kept hiding? Not at all satisfied with that, she decided to take the proactive route, stomping up the steps and coming around from behind.

"Hello!"

Keith flinched again- and jumped- actually _jumped_ \- back at the sound of her voice. But now she had a much better look at him, and for that matter, so did Matt.

"That's so cool!" Her brother exclaimed, rushing to get a little closer, eager to meet Keith for himself.

Katie, for one, had to agree. He didn't have any wings, or horns, or even a tail- but there was no way this kid was human. It wasn't just his purple skin or his weird eyes- his ears were all pointy, and he had claws instead of just plain old fingernails. She wondered if the stuff on his face were markings, or maybe just tattoos- she'd seen a man at the supermarket with tattoos on his face the other day.

Either way, while maybe not as fantastical as some of the creatures she had envisioned, he was still definitely cool, she'd thought.

It was only later, once she had both gotten to know Keith better and had grown up a little, that she realized that he wasn't cool at all- in fact, he was just a huge _nerd_. Not that that was a _bad_ thing- she was a nerd too, after all- and so was the rest of her family, for that matter. But the older she got, the less she started thinking of him as her cool alien friend- and more as just her friend who also happened to be purple. It was hard to spend time around Keith, and _not_ see the human in him.

Even when they both got up into space, that didn't ring any less true.

Even after she met the Galra for herself.

* * *

"Hey, you okay?"

Keith didn't even look at her. "I'm fine."

Exchanging a glance with Shiro, Pidge couldn't shake the feeling that he _wasn't_ fine. Sure, Keith wasn't exactly known for being a chatterbox, but he'd been awfully quiet ever since they'd gotten that transmission from Sendak. He'd barely even voiced an opinion during the ensuing argument about what to do, other than that he was in favor of staying.

In light of that, it wasn't hard to guess what was on his mind.

Biting her lip, Pidge tightened her grip on the green lion's controls. Maybe this wasn't the best time to talk about it, but she didn't feel comfortable just letting the issue sit. It was bad enough that Allura treated Keith like he was dangerous, he didn't need an actual Galra soldier to actively reinforce that belief.

Not that Sendak had actually _said_ anything to Keith. She wasn't even sure if he'd noticed him. All he'd done was deliver his message, which was honestly more of a threat than anything else. Nothing like being told you'd get blown to bits if you didn't hand over a bunch of mechanical space lions to really ruin a girl's day.

"Keith-"

"I'm fine, Pidge." Keith cut her off, his expression hard. "Let's just focus on the mission."

Glancing back at Shiro, he just sighed, shaking his head. No one understood the complex feelings Keith had towards his mother's people better than him, so she should just trust his judgement. He was probably better suited to talking Keith through it than she was.

But she still wanted to do _something_ for him. She just wasn't sure what, if anything, she _could_ do. All she knew was that she didn't like it. He shouldn't have to feel this way.

She'd meant what she'd said to Allura. Keith was just as human as the rest of them. He'd been born and raised on Earth, had grown up around them.

But he was also Galra.

She didn't pretend to know all of how Keith felt. She knew he idolized his mother, the rebel freedom fighter who had infiltrated the Galra Empire from within. She also knew he loathed the Empire, possibly more than either she or Shiro did- though perhaps less than Allura, given, well... everything that had happened to her.

She just wasn't totally sure how those two warring viewpoints translated into his feelings about _himself_. Especially now that the Galra Empire was no longer this distant menace, but rather, this totally real concrete thing that would probably kill them all if they didn't succeed in stealing the red lion back from them.

 _Keith's_ lion.

Honestly, given the way Allura had been acting, she was kind of surprised that she'd come around. Shiro must have spoken to her while they were gone. She just hoped that whatever he'd told her stuck with her, because the last thing Keith needed was to deal with that kind of misplaced hatred. She'd lost things to the Galra Empire too, but that was hardly _Keith's_ fault. He had nothing to do with it.

Sure, she'd been shocked when she'd found out that the aliens that had taken her dad and Matt were Galra, the same as Keith's mom. But more than anything else, she was worried about Keith disappearing too. If she hadn't reached out her hand to stop him back then, in the kitchen, she got the feeling she might have never seen him again.

She'd already lost one brother. She refused to lose another.

At least they had Shiro back. Maybe that meant there was hope for her family yet.

 _Their_ family.

* * *

"I'm sorry they weren't there."

Wiping away her tears with her sleeve, Pidge looked up towards Keith. Normally she would have balked at the idea of someone finding her crying, but Keith was an exception. He was awkwardly lingering in front of the med bay doors, eying the healing pods warily as if he expected them to open up any second. He'd made himself scarce during the entire process of examining the freed prisoners and putting them in the pods- probably for the same reason he always made sure that he fell within Allura's line of sight.

She didn't like it. He shouldn't have to be so sensitive about what he was. He couldn't help the fact that he was Galra, any more than she could help the fact that she was short.

"You can come in." Pidge told him. "Coran says the pods won't open for awhile."

Keith looked unconvinced, but he still made his way inside, taking a seat next to her. She scooted over so that she was closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. He didn't push her away, and even relaxed somewhat at the contact.

"Pidge-"

"Did seeing Sendak bother you?" Pidge cut him off.

Keith blinked, too stunned by the question to react with anything but surprise. "I-"

"Don't lie to me." Pidge said. "Please."

Keith sighed, staring down at his feet. "It just... it brought a lot of things home, I guess. Stuff I'm not sure I was really ready to deal with just yet."

"So he did bother you." Pidge concluded.

"Yeah." Keith admitted. "He did."

Pidge didn't say anything to that. She realized she didn't know _what_ to say, much as she had been the one to bring the topic up. She wanted to say something comforting, something that would put him at ease- but as the younger sister, she was usually the one _being_ comforted, not the other way around. She had no idea what to do in a situation like this.

Maybe she really was better off letting Shiro handle it.

"Do you think they know something about your family?" Keith asked, abruptly changing the topic before Pidge had the chance to formulate a response.

He'd definitely done it on purpose.

"Maybe." Pidge said, falling for the bait anyways. "They seemed to recognize Shiro, at least. Called him _Champion_."

"Champion?" Keith frowned. "Champion of what?"

"I don't know." Pidge shook her head. "I'm not sure Shiro knows either."

"Well... maybe they do." Keith said, looking at the pod directly across from them. "Then maybe we can make Voltron's second mission rescuing your family."

" _Our_ family." Pidge corrected him. "Dad and Matt are your family too, Keith."

Keith opened his mouth to say something to that, but quickly shut it. "Right. Of course they are."

"I mean it, Keith." Pidge said, pushing herself off his shoulder so that she could look him in the eyes. He'd spent nearly half a year living at her house, but it was still so weird seeing him with actual pupils. Maybe it was because he'd spent the half year after that living back out in the desert again. "You're still family."

Sensing that she'd seen right through him, Keith looked away. "Sorry. I don't mean to doubt them. It's just-"

"-hard?" Pidge finished.

"I know none of this is my fault, but I can't help but blame myself for it." Keith admitted. "Maybe if I had told the Garrison about the Galra, they wouldn't have risked sending a mission out that far."

Pidge narrowed her eyes. "If you'd told the Garrison about the Galra, you'd probably just end up strapped to a table somewhere. I'm not about to let that happen either."

Keith gave her a weak smile. "Thanks."

They sat in companionable silence for some time before Keith broke it. "So... why were you crying?"

"Frustration, mostly." Pidge said. "I really thought we'd find them there."

"I hoped you would, too." Keith said, somewhat awkwardly putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry they weren't."

In another situation, she might have teased him about trying to emulate Shiro, but right now she just took comfort in it. It was something she also direly needed. She settled back against his shoulder, feeling her eyelids start to grow tired. Come to think of it, she'd basically been awake since yesterday morning- she hadn't slept at all the night they had rescued Shiro from the Garrison. For that matter, neither had Keith.

"Tired?" Keith asked.

" _Exhausted_." Pidge said. "What about you?"

Keith just shrugged. "One of the perks of being half-alien means I don't need to sleep as much."

"You sure?" Pidge asked. "Because I distinctly remember you taking a bunch of cat naps when you were younger."

Keith flushed, his cheeks turning a deep shade of violet. "I've grown out of that."

"So you don't deny it." Pidge teased.

"Shut up." Keith grumbled, before unceremoniously scooping her up. "Come on. I'm taking you to bed."

Pidge squeaked, flailing ineffectively in his arms. "Keith! Put me down! You know I can walk!"

"Yeah, but if I let you have a choice in the matter, there's no way you'll actually go to bed." Keith pointed out, glancing down at her. "You'll just fall asleep here and wake up tomorrow with a serious crick in your neck and no clue how you got it."

Pidge grumbled, folding her arms in front of her chest. He had her there. Spending the night here had totally been her plan. She just didn't feel comfortable leaving when the answers she sought might be _so close_. But she guessed their recovery did take priority- and in any case, she'd been waiting nearly half a year. She could wait another day or two.

You know. Hypothetically.

"Fine." Pidge huffed. It was pretty rare that Keith enacted his Older Sibling Rights, but she knew from experience that when he did, there was no arguing with him. He was capable of being just as stubborn as she was. "But only because I was planning on going back to my room anyways."

Keith just snorted, the edges of his lips turning upwards. "Sure you were."

At least everyone else was already asleep at this hour, so there was no one to see Keith carry her through the halls of the Castle. Upon making it to the room she'd been assigned by Coran, Keith essentially just dumped her in her bed.

"Geez, you really know how to treat a lady." Pidge grumbled, rubbing her butt as she sat up.

"Wasn't aware there were any around here." Keith teased.

" _Nice_." Pidge said, only pretending to glare at him.

"Shut up and go to bed, Pidge." Keith told her. "I mean it. Actually sleep."

"Only if you promise to get some rest too." Pidge said.

Keith squinted at her. "Fine. But if I find out that you snuck back out-"

"I won't, I swear." Pidge said, holding up her hands. "We can pinky swear on it if you like."

Keith might have rolled his eyes, but she could see the faint way he smiled. "Ugh, I can't believe Shiro told you that story."

"It's cute." Pidge teased, before letting out a loud yawn. "You know what? You might be right. Sleeping sounds pretty good right about now."

Keith just smiled, shaking his head. "Goodnight, Pidge."

"Night, Keith."

* * *

"I'm going after dad and Matt."

For a long moment, Keith just stared at her, unable to formulate a response. Then finally, he narrowed his eyes. "Pidge, you can't."

Pidge narrowed her eyes right back, tightening the grip on her bag. That wasn't the response she had been expecting. "What do you mean, _I can't_? I thought you of all people would understand."

Keith visibly twitched. "I don't know if you've forgotten, but we need five paladins to form Voltron. If you leave, you take the only shot this universe has at freedom with it."

Pidge opened her mouth to say something to that, only to snap it shut. Part of her knew that he had a point, but the larger part was seething at the fact that he was actually trying to stand in her way. Didn't he care about her dad and Matt? Or was getting Shiro back all that had actually mattered to him?

The whole reason she had called him out here to talk in private was because she thought he'd understand. Of course, she planned to tell Allura and everyone else a bit later, but she'd wanted to tell Keith first. She knew that her announcement would make them angry at her, so at the very least, she'd been hoping to have Keith in her corner.

So she just couldn't understand why he was trying to _stop_ her.

"Allura can find someone else to fly the green lion." Pidge said firmly. "But dad and Matt only have me."

"That's not how the lions work." Keith said, just as firmly. "She could scour the entire universe, and not be able to find a replacement for you. You _are_ the green paladin."

"How can you be so sure?" Pidge snapped, letting her anger get the better of her. "For all we know, _she_ might be able to fly the green lion if she tried."

"She can't." Keith insisted. "We need you, Pidge."

Gritting her teeth, Pidge glowered at him. "So does my family!"

"I thought _I_ was your family!" Keith snapped, baring his fangs with a snarl. "What happened to that!?"

Pidge flinched, her breath momentarily hitching in her throat. In all the time she'd known him, she'd never seen Keith _angry_ before, but now he was furious.

Furious at _her_.

Seeming to realize he'd lost his temper, Keith drew in a shaky breath, almost seeming to retreat back into himself. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

Snapping back to her own senses, Pidge took a breath. She wasn't scared- just... surprised, that was all. The reverse of seeing Keith as being so human was that sometimes she forgot that he was in fact, half-alien and acted like it at times.

"You didn't scare me." Pidge told him honestly. "And I'm the one who should apologize. You're right. You're my family too, Keith."

Keith looked up at her, a slight frown on his face. "If you really feel you have to go, I won't stop you."

Pidge opened her mouth to respond, but suddenly she wasn't so sure what she wanted to say anymore. Her desire to find her dad and Matt hadn't changed in the least, but Keith was right- in order to find one part of her family, she'd been leaving another part of it was behind. It was bad enough that they had left behind her mom on Earth, but to leave behind Keith too?

She wasn't sure she could do that.

Swallowing, she opened her mouth, ready to say something- before the words were ripped from her, a powerful explosion rocking the entire ship.

* * *

Seeing Sendak up close was nothing like seeing him on a screen.

Even from a distance, she'd been able to tell just how _huge_ he was. He _loomed_ over Shiro, a solid wall of muscle, his monstrosity of a mechanical arm just adding to his menace. He couldn't possibly be any more different from Keith if he tried- aside from the eyes and the fact that they were both purple, they had almost nothing in common. Even Sendak's claws and fangs made Keith's look more like little baby nubs.

Suddenly, she understood a little better just where the _human_ part of Keith's appearance came in.

Compared to Sendak, Haxus was a lot less intimidating. Which wasn't to say he _wasn't_ \- he was- but while tall, he wasn't the solid, hulking mass of muscle that Sendak was. He actually looked even less like Keith than Sendak did- almost reptilian in nature. She couldn't help but recall her dad's theory that the Galra were adaptable, their environment as they grew and developed determining their physical traits almost as much as their genetics did. And while three was a pretty small sample size, she was starting to think he was on to something there.

Haxus might have been the less intimidating between the two of them, but that didn't make fighting him any easier. If Rover hadn't been there, she probably would have been captured- or killed.

In the end, Rover had sacrificed itself to save her.

But they'd won. They'd fought back against Sendak, and took back the Castle, preventing him from delivering Voltron to Zarkon. Hunk and Coran pulled through too, returning to the Castle just in time with the crystal they needed to reboot the ship. Thanks to that, they were able to put Lance in a pod. From the sound of it, he would be just fine after a day or so in there. Coran had checked the rest of them over, but had determined that none of them required a pod themselves. Shiro was pretty beaten up, but all he really needed was some salve and a few bandages- not to mention rest. She was pretty sore from being thrown around so much, but other than a few bruises from where Sendak had used his mechanical arm to clamp down on her, she'd be fine too.

And in the end... it had brought some clarity to her own internal conflict. Her desire to find her family hadn't lessened, but she'd come to realize that her best chance of actually finding them was to stay right here. They'd overcome a dangerous crisis- and they'd done it together. If even one of them had been missing, things could have turned out a lot worse.

When she'd told Keith that, he'd just smiled at her. Told her that he was glad she was sticking around, and that they would find their families together.

Their families. Plural.

 _"By now, your traitorous mother is probably already dead."_

Sendak had said a lot of awful things to Keith, but that was the line that stood out the most to her. Once things had calmed down a bit to allow room for them to actually breathe, she found that she couldn't _stop_ thinking about it. For his part, Keith had tried to act like it didn't bother him, but there was no way it _hadn't_. She knew that one of his goals now that he was out here was to find his mother and reunite with her, just like she hoped to reunite with her dad and Matt. The only real difference between their two goals was the fact that his mother wasn't a prisoner, but a rebel agent who had infiltrated the Galra Empire.

She thought that meant she was safe- but maybe she'd been wrong.

Eventually, when it got to be too much, she pried herself away from her laptop to search for Keith. She thought she'd find him in the med bay, where Shiro was resting, but he wasn't there.

"Shiro? Have you seen Keith?"

Looking up at her with a tired expression, Shiro sighed. "He left with Allura."

Pidge frowned. The princess had left to check on the Arusians, and to offer a helping hand in rebuilding their village after it had been damaged by the fire Sendak had set. In the end, it had just been a diversion to draw their attention away from the Castle, but that didn't change the fact that the damage done to the village was very real. While they wouldn't be on Arus for much longer, she still wanted to offer what help she could to them before they had to leave. They might not be able to rebuild the whole village, but at the very least, they could help clear the rubble.

She knew that. She just hadn't known Keith had gone with her.

It wasn't that she was worried about them being alone together- he and Allura seemed to be on the road to working out their issues. Well, mostly _Allura's_ issues, but still. She didn't think the princess would hurt him.

It was just... she was surprised he wasn't here, with Shiro. He'd nearly lost him again, Sendak nearly-

...oh.

"Is he still hung up about Sendak?" Pidge asked.

"He won't admit to it." Shiro told her. "But probably. I'd go after him myself, but-"

"Coran meant it when he said you needed to rest?" Pidge finished. "I can always talk to him."

"Are you sure?" Shiro frowned, already starting to stand up. "Because I could-"

"No." Pidge stopped him. "Keith's my best friend. I think I can handle this."

Shiro managed a faint smile, sitting back down. "In that case, I won't try to stop you. But only if you're feeling up to it. Sendak tossed you around pretty badly."

"Gee, thanks for making it sound like I'm some kind of ragdoll." Pidge joked.

"Pidge-"

"I'm fine, Shiro." Pidge assured him. "You heard Coran. Just a few scrapes and bruises."

Shiro exhaled. "I know. But I still can't help but worry. It's supposed to be my job to keep the four of you safe, and so far I haven't done a great job of it."

"You can't hold yourself responsible for everything, Shiro." Pidge told him. "This was all Sendak's fault. You did everything you could to keep Lance and the Castle safe."

Shiro gave her a weak smile, one that failed to reach his eyes. "Thanks."

Pidge frowned, shifting on her feet. Part of her wanted to stay until she managed to get it through Shiro's thick skull that he hadn't failed anyone, but if she did that, she'd probably just be here all day. With a curt nod of her head, and a quick glance in the direction of Lance's healing pod, she opted to make a hasty exit.

Coran was somewhere around here anyways, she knew. Maybe adult issues were something better left to adults.

* * *

"Pidge?"

Keith looked up at her in surprise, pausing to wipe sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. When she found him, he'd been working to clear away some of the rubble blocking the main path into the village, moving huge chunks of rock like it was nothing. His jacket was tied around his waist, dried sweat clinging to his lavender skin. With all the dust and ash being blown around by the breeze, Keith's third eyelid was firmly in place, reminding her that she actually hadn't seen him without pupils since they'd left Earth.

For a split second, her breath hitched in her throat, flashing back to Sendak's blazing eyes- before the moment passed, and she exhaled. Keith wasn't Sendak. That much was obvious. She wasn't about to be afraid of him, not after all this time.

"Hey." Pidge gave him a weak smile. "Shiro told me I'd find you here."

Keith's eyes narrowed in understanding. "He told you to come talk to me, didn't he?"

"Pretty much." Pidge shrugged. "So... do you want to talk about it?"

Keith turned away from her, purposefully picking up another cracked rock. "I'm busy."

"Actually," Allura began, popping out from seemingly nowhere and startling her half to death, "-I think you've earned yourself something of a break."

Keith's eyes narrowed further. "I can keep going."

"Nonsense." Allura said firmly. "You've been working nonstop since we got here. Go, take a break. Bonding with your fellow paladins is important."

Keith's frown deepened, muttering something underneath his breath that she couldn't quite make out. Setting down the rock on a handcart, he heaved a long sigh.

"Fine." Keith said. "Let's talk."

Pidge couldn't help but beam in triumph as Keith lead her away from the village. The Arusians watched them pass, though not with any wariness, she noticed. They'd never actually _seen_ a Galra before- just their sentries, so it didn't seem as if they'd made any connections between Keith and the people who had destroyed their village.

That was probably for the best. Keith had enough on his plate as it was already.

When they got far away enough to be sure no one would overhear them, Keith turned back towards her. Leaning back against a tree, he crossed his arms almost defensively in front of him. "So? What did you want to talk about?"

Pidge's smile instantly faded, wondering where to even start. So many things had happened in such a short period of time, that it was hard to just pick one.

She guessed it might as well be what had drawn her all the way out here in the first place.

"About what Sendak said about your mother-"

"She's fine." Keith cut her off. "I know she is."

Pidge's brows knit together at the surety in his voice. "Far be it from me to decry hope, but how can you be so sure?"

Keith blinked, before unfolding his arms, reaching for his knife. He held it out so that she could see the emblem emblazoned on its hilt, glowing just as steadily as it had the first time she'd seen it with Matt, all those years ago. "Dad told me once that as long as this emblem is still glowing, it means she's still alive. Sendak was just bluffing."

"Oh." Pidge said, honestly feeling relieved. "But still, how did he even know about your mother?"

"It's not hard." Keith snorted, sheathing his knife. "We look a lot alike."

Pidge frowned. She'd never actually _seen_ any pictures of Keith's mother before. She wasn't even sure any existed. She knew he got his black hair from his dad, but in light of the two Galra she'd seen, it made her wonder just Keith's mother looked like. If Sendak had been able to deduce her identity just from looking at him, then they had to look _a lot_ alike.

"Look," Keith began, snapping her attention back to him, "-I appreciate that both you and Shiro are worried about me, Pidge, but I just don't think I'm ready to talk about Sendak yet. He's basically the first Galra I've ever had to deal with, and I just... I need some time to think first."

Oh. Somehow in the middle of all this chaos, she'd managed to forget that Keith had never dealt with another Galra before either. He'd never even left _Earth_ before this. Now here he was, thousands of lightyears from it. Just leaving his tiny desert shack had been a big deal for him, but their solar system? Their _galaxy_? He was just as out of his element as everyone else was. _Of course_ he would need some time to process everything.

"So... does that mean you'll talk to us about it when you're ready?" Pidge asked.

"When I'm ready, sure." Keith told her. "You two will be the first people I talk to about it."

Pidge cracked a smile at that. "Is that a promise?"

Keith arched a brow, sticking out a clawed hand. "You want to make it a pinky promise?"

She stared at his hand a few seconds, before she grinned, linking her pinky with his. "You know what? Maybe I do."

Keith's smile was a welcome sight, fangs and all.


End file.
